The young Santos forward Marcos Leonardo is reportedly a target for Manchester United. This summer, the goal-hungry striker is reasonably priced, but Roma might sign him without John Murtough’s knowledge.

At the age of 20, Leonardo is on the verge of reaching the milestone of 50 goals for the Santos senior team. After adding 21 during the events of the previous season, his total is presently at 14.

Despite the attacker’s outstanding statistics as he develops, the Brazilian club appears inclined to accept a request of about £13 million to let the attacker leave. Roma, Lazio, and Nottingham Forest are all thought to be rivals.

According to Calciomercato, Leonardo, who has scored more than once per game for Brazil U20, is also a target for Man United.

Roma is speeding up talks and threatening to make a significant advancement, but it looks like Murtough and company might lose out. Despite the Premier League’s interest, sources claim Leonardo would want to play in Italy’s Serie A.

The signing would be considerably more enjoyable for Roma boss Jose Mourinho if it went through. Leonardo would leave the Red Devils, the team he led from 2016 to 2018, for the Giallorossi, who would subsequently sign him before Lazio, their cross-city rivals.

Ten Hag has been searching for a new striker this summer ever since returning Wout Weghorst to Burnley on loan. Additionally, Anthony Martial’s patchy fitness has demonstrated that he cannot be relied upon in the absence of a talented supporting cast.

Rasmus Hojlund’s arrival is merely a formality at this stage, allowing United’s manager to complete one of his significant summer duties. The Danish forward landed in Manchester on Tuesday for a checkup.

While Hojlund is a similarly talented young shooter to Ten Hag’s apparent Leonardo miss, he comes at a far higher cost.

Following earlier purchases for Mason Mount and Andre Onana, the hefty price tag for the leaving Atalanta midfielder will put United’s total summer spending above the £200 million mark.