Manchester United have pulled the plug on any potential deal for Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker’s move from Galatasaray is off the table, and the reasons are pretty straightforward: money. According to the Manchester Evening News, the total cost of signing Osimhen — including his transfer fee and the wages boosted by Türkiye’s favorable tax setup — blew past what United was willing to spend. Even with Osimhen tearing it up in the Super Lig, the math just didn’t work.
This isn’t a surprise if you’ve been paying attention to United’s summer plans. The club has been eyeing Benjamin Sesko as their long-term answer at striker for a while now. He’s younger, cheaper, and fits the profile of what this front office wants to build. Barcelona has reportedly sniffed around Sesko as a potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski, but United aren’t sweating it. No formal offer has come from Camp Nou, and the club’s not taking those rumors seriously after the whole Marcus Rashford loan situation left a bad taste.
Speaking of Rashford, his future is still up in the air. His stint at Barcelona didn’t become permanent, so he’s back in United’s plans — sort of. Tottenham is pushing hard for him. Roberto De Zerbi is a fan, and Spurs are exploring a bid that would come in below the £40 million release clause. Rashford would rather go back to United or head abroad, and he’s open to taking a pay cut to make it happen. But he’s hesitant about joining a Premier League rival. United, for their part, won’t let him go to Barcelona on another loan. That bridge is burned.
With Osimhen out of the picture, United’s front office is trying to build a more balanced forward group. They’ve got a shortlist of five names, and Jean-Philippe Mateta is on it. The Crystal Palace forward has Premier League experience, which United values. The goal here is to avoid panic buys and put together a squad that can actually compete in the Champions League next season.
Further back in the squad, a deal for Atalanta’s Ederson is reportedly already agreed. Talks are ongoing for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. Any money that comes from a Rashford sale could get reinvested into those moves. Pre-season starts soon against Wrexham, so United needs to get things sorted quickly.
The Osimhen chase being dead isn’t a disaster for United. But it does mean they have to be smarter with what they have left in the budget.
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