Manchester United are reportedly among the clubs interested in the potential £99million transfer of Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi.
The Argentina international is one of the best forward players in the world at the moment and seems to be attracting plenty of attention this January.
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The Daily Mirror have linked Icardi as a top transfer target for Chelsea as they look for an upgrade on flop Spaniard Alvaro Morata, whom the Independent are linking with clubs like Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.
However, Don Balon now report that Icardi is also a target for Manchester United and Real Madrid, the latter of whom clearly need a new goal-scorer up front.
The 25-year-old would be an ideal replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu, with the Portugal international proving hard to replace since his summer switch to Juventus.
Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have not produced the goods so far this term, so if Real can land Icardi it would do them the world of good.
Mauro Icardi a surprise Manchester United transfer target
However, it’s not entirely clear what motivates United’s apparent interest in Icardi, with the Serie A hot-shot not necessarily a big upgrade on Romelu Lukaku.
MUFC currently play with one up front, with Lukaku usually first choice, though the club also have Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford and perhaps even Alexis Sanchez as options in that position.
It could be argued that Icardi would be a superior option to Lukaku, though the Belgium international, like many others at Old Trafford, looks hugely improved since Jose Mourinho’s departure.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has got players like Lukaku, Rashford and Paul Pogba playing with confidence again, so spending around £99m on Icardi seems an unnecessarily expensive move at this point in time.
Don Balon mention £99m as Icardi’s release clause at the San Siro, but a move to Chelsea or Madrid is surely more likely at this point.