Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag acknowledges the club is making progress’ on signing a striker, as talks with Atalanta over Rasmus Hojlund continue.
The Dutchman has already spent the majority of his £120 million transfer budget this summer by signing Andre Onana and Mason Mount.
Despite this, he remains determined to sign a new center forward following the team’s troubles in front of goal last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo left in November, and he was replaced on loan by Burnley striker Wout Weghorst.
The Dutchman appeared in 29 games for the Red Devils in the second half of the season, scoring two goals.
United’s preferred choice is Hojlund, although the club has stated that he will not cost more than £60 million.
That’s a dilemma given Atalanta’s stated asking price of £86 million for the 20-year-old.
However, Ten Hag thinks that the club is making progress in its search for a striker.
When asked about United’s search for a striker, Ten Hag stated, “We make progress, yeah.”
‘But you know how it works – when we have him, we will tell you straight.
‘All I can say is that we are doing all in our ability to get that done. If it were up to me, I’d say as quickly as feasible. The sooner we can integrate him into the team and the style we play, the better.
‘In a perfect world, he would have already arrived, but as a manager, you don’t always get ideal scenarios, and you have to deal with the situation.’
Last season, United relied largely on Marcus Rashford’s goals.
The winger scored 30 goals in all competitions, his finest season to date.
Ten Hag, on the other hand, wants to share the goals among the club and feels Mount’s arrival would assist.
‘We are underperforming there, and we are aware of it, so others must contribute in that area as well, but we are searching for scoring talents,’ Ten Hag said.
‘I believe we already have an extra player in Mason Mount who is capable of not only scoring goals but also creating opportunities for players like Rashford to score more goals. But as a team, we need to score more goals.’