As eager as Manchester United fans would likely be to see Cristiano Ronaldo reunite with Wayne Rooney and mentor Anthony Martial, the price tag on Ronaldo (estimated at £80m or more) would likely be way too high for a player about to step out of his athletic prime.
Believe it or not, while almost nobody on Earth has the accolades of Ronaldo, there are still some better options for Man United to pursue as a transfer target. From youngsters like Neymar and Harry Kane to less expensive veterans like Zlatan, Man United can land the high-quality player they want while getting a lot more value for their transfer fee.
Here are the five players Man United should sign instead of Cristiano Ronaldo:
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Neymar
Rather than spend £80m on Ronaldo, Man United would be able to continue their youth movement with 23-year-old Neymar, who is five years younger than both Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi yet is already just as skilled with the ball.
Neymar’s transfer would definitely require the Red Devils to shatter the transfer record, but they would have at least five to ten years of production from Neymar and Anthony Martial in their respective athletic primes.
Harry Kane
Though Kane has not looked like the scoring genius who fell just short of the Golden Boot, he is still leading Tottenham to victory after victory and still gets more than enough goals to avoid the “one-hit-wonder” label.
Much like Neymar, Kane is still relatively young and would create a dominating force with Anthony Martial for at least six years before either even enter their primes.
Alexandre Lacazette
The reigning MVP of Ligue 1, Lacazette led the French league in goals scored with 27 and had 31 goals in all competitions for Lyon. At age 24, Lacazette is still very young and would make a solid heir-apparent to Wayne Rooney.
His rapport with Anthony Martial as a member of the French national team would also ensure plenty of team chemistry.
Zlatan
If Zlatan Ibrahimovich is determined to go out to pasture and finish his football career in Major League Soccer, there’s nothing Man United or any other club can do about it. However, if Zlatan still wants to get paid and win titles, then he can come to Man United and provide a much-needed veteran presence to the young team – and probably at a reasonable fee.
Gareth Bale
Manchester United chose the wrong La Liga winger to break the Premier League transfer record for. Bale surpasses Angel Di Maria as a footballer in every conceivable way, and would become an immediate icon in Manchester while stepping out of Ronaldo’s shadow.