Manchester United have drawn up a three-man shortlist of striker targets for the summer with a move for Wout Weghorst only designed to tide them over until the end of the season.

Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, manager Erik ten Hag has been left with just two senior forwards capable of leading the line: Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

But with the Red Devils still alive in four competitions, the Dutch coach knows he needs to sign a new striker this month to provide cover.

Unfortunately, after spending big last summer, United are limited to loan deals and free transfers, with Weghorst now the leading candidate to fill Ronaldo’s void – though Besiktas will need to agree to terminate his current loan first, which is proving tricky.

Now ESPN are reporting that another factor behind United’s rather uninspiring January striker hunt is that they have already made signing a new forward their top priority for the summer.

Ten Hag wants a proven goalscorer to lead the line and feels it is the key ingredient that is now missing from his squad, though none of United’s top targets would be available this month.

The Red Devils’ hierarchy have drawn up a shortlist of elite strikers they want to sign with three main names on their radar, the first of which is Tottenham frontman Harry Kane.

Spurs would never countenance a sale in the middle of the season, but come summer he will only have one year left on his contract and could be open to a move to Old Trafford – especially if they have secured Champions League football.

Another name United are considering a swoop for is FC Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko, who they enquired about last summer.

The 19-year-old ended up agreeing to join Salzburg’s sister club RB Leipzig in a £20m deal, though United feel that transfer could still be hijacked if they are prepared to make a higher offer to buy Leipzig out of the deal.

The third option United are looking at is Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen, who has netted 11 goals in 16 games for the Serie A leaders this season, though they anticipate facing competition from Paris Saint-Germain.

Ten Hag has been promised funds for the summer despite the Glazer family looking into the possibility of selling the club, and the Dutch coach is keen to use the majority of his budget on one world-class striking addition.

Source: metro.co.uk