Manchester United are rumored to be linked with Matteo Letegui (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Italian striker Matteo Letegui.
The 26-year-old striker joined Saudi club Al Qadisia in the summer transfer window and has scored three goals in four league games. He was very impressive for Atalanta last season, scoring 28 goals in all competitions.
There is no doubt that he has the right physical and technical attributes for the Premier League and could be a very useful signing for Manchester United. Retegui has been labeled as a “great striker”. Fichajes reports that they are willing to pay around 50-60 million euros for the striker.
Who is Manchester United’s other striker?
Manchester United recently acquired Benjamin Sesco from RB Leipzig. Spending a lot of money on another striker would be surprising at this point. Manchester United need to improve multiple areas of their squad and investing in another striker may not be a wise decision.
Retegui could be an upgrade over the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, but Manchester United have other priorities, including in midfield. They also need quality full-backs. They could also use another reliable goalkeeper and winger.
It will be interesting to see if they make a move for the Italian player in the coming months. The Saudi club recently signed a contract with him, but they will not want to lose the player. It will be difficult for Manchester United to convince them to sell their striker.
How is Mateo Letegui different from Sesco?
The Italian is more involved in the final third and will add creativity to the flank as well. Last season, Sesco had 186 touches inside the opposition box in Serie A, compared to 98 in the Bundesliga. Retegui had better passing accuracy (78% vs. 68%) and better long ball accuracy (67% vs. 47%).
Sesco is a better dribbler and ball carrier (54% success rate, 39 successful dribbles), but Letegui could be the complete forward they currently lack. If he joins the club, he could form a strong partnership with the Slovenian player.
