Manchester United hit their lowest ebb last season, but there's every chance that Ruben Amorim will piece together something more promising for the upcoming campaign.

INEOS, at least, are aware that things are rather dire at Old Trafford, and thus have signed Matheus Cunha for £62.5m, now pushing to sign Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo before perhaps turning their attention to central midfield.

But wait, the frontline's surely not done? Indeed, Rasmus Hojlund is expected to depart the Premier League this summer after a crushing campaign; Inter Milan are interested in bringing the former Atalanta man back to Italy.

The Red Devils will need to sign not just a replacement but a significant upgrade, and while they missed out on Liam Delap after the Ipswich Town man signed for Chelsea in a £30m deal, the Theatre of Dreams may yet roar on a high-level marksman in just a few months.

Man Utd hold talks for coveted striker

We all know that Amorim wants Viktor Gyokeres to front his Man United project. The Sweden striker scored 66 goals across 68 matches for the Portuguese tactician at Sporting Lisbon, supplying 23 assists too.

However, Arsenal have the lead in the race, and United may need to find themselves a different number nine.

Well, there might be just the player itching to make their move to the Premier League this summer, and who the Manchester side might have a free shot at as their rivals target other stars.

According to ESPN, Man United have held 'exploratory talks' to sign Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, who has emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe.

This should come as little surprise to the Red Devils faithful, for the French forward, 23, has been on INEOS' radar for a while, with Fabrizio Romano himself confirming in June that the club have called Frankfurt to learn of the precise conditions, albeit with Chelsea and Liverpool having opened contacts too.

Those conditions, it must be said, are concerning. Die Adler are not pressed to sell and have set a €100m (£85m) price tag on their talisman. Will any of the clubs pay up? Or will, indeed, his asking price be slashed?

Why Man Utd must sign Hugo Ekitike

Ekitike has only just turned 23, but already he's rebounded from a frustrating spell at Paris Saint-Germain during his maiden years as a professional, scoring only four times across 33 appearances, to become a star at Frankfurt.

His 22-goal haul across 2024/25 could see him thrive in the Premier League, providing Amorim with a steady goalscoring presence from number nine, but it's his underlying qualities that make Ekitike such a sought-after star.

Indeed, his movement and tactical dynamism might even see him become the club's best signing since Bruno Fernandes. Admittedly, there have been more rocks than diamonds over the past years, with failed moves for the fellow strikers in the form of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

Comparatively, the Portuguese playmaker stands proud as a "genius", as has been said by pundit Dion Dublin and there haven't been many standout moves since he headed to Old Trafford.

Even though Man United have struggled so greatly across the past year, the 30-year-old scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists across all competitions, with his artful passing and tenacious desire to win the ball and make things happen, something that could fuse wonderfully with Ekitike's style.

For it is Fernandes whose qualities will get Ekitike up and running in the Premier League, but then it's the striker himself who might just bloom into the club's next superstar, emulating Fernandes, although hopefully doing so in balmier conditions.

As per FBref, Ekitike ranked among the top 16% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues last season for goal contributions, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, and the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

Such complete performances have led the data-driven site to draw Newcastle United's Alexander Isak as one of his most comparable players, though it's his countryman, Kylian Mbappe, who has been singled out as a player of striking likeness.

Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey once hailed the striker as "the next Mbappe", with his prodigious start to life as a professional and protean attacking style perhaps setting him up to be such a superstar.

If he can pass the Premier League test and spearhead a Man United resurgence, surely he would become a sensation every bit as momentous as when the Devils welcomed Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for an initial £47m fee in January 2020.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig has already claimed that Ekitike "could reach world-class levels" in the future, but given the current praise and indeed performances that he has plied in the Bundesliga and Europa League, might he not be reaching that point already?

If Ekitike truly is the next Mbappe, INEOS may well be about to oversee United's finest signing since the club's Portuguese Magnifico walked through the gates.