Following months of speculation, it looks as if Manchester United finally have their man after having agreed a deal for Danish sensation, Rasmus Hojlund, with the 20-year-old set to sign from Atalanta for a fee of around £72m after spending just a solitary season in Italy.
The former Sturm Graz ace has been identified by Erik ten Hag as the man to ease United's centre-forward woes, with long-serving asset Anthony Martial having proven himself wholly unreliable due to his repeated injury setbacks in recent years.
With the Red Devils having already moved on Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest – and with fellow youngster Facundo Pellistri in line for a loan exit – the addition of Hojlund may not be the end of the attacking additions at Old Trafford this summer, with Manchester Evening News recently reporting that the former Ajax boss is keen on bringing in another asset who can feature all across the frontline.
Who will Man United sign after Hojlund?
One perhaps left-field name that has been mentioned as a potential attacking recruit in recent months is AZ Alkmaar winger, Jesper Karlsson, with The Sun reporting back in January that the 25-year-old was among a raft of Eredivisie-based talents that Ten Hag was keen to keep an eye on.
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More recently, reports in Italy back in June suggested that the Premier League giants were providing 'stiff competition' in the battle to land the Sweden international, with the former IF Elfsborg man – who has also been linked with a move to Lazio – currently valued at a bargain price of just €20m (£17m).
While typically deployed in a wide left-berth, the 5 foot 10 ace's versatility to feature on the right flank or through the middle could ensure that he is the type of figure that Ten Hag is chasing, with those at the Theatre of Dreams needing to considering stepping up their interest in the near future.
Who is Jesper Karlsson?
It remains to be seen just how United's forward line will shape up next season, with the future of Ivorian wizard, Amad Diallo, still up in the air following the 21-year-old's return from his stellar stint on loan at Sunderland – in which he scored 13 goals and provided three assists in the Championship.
Despite being included in the club's recent pre-season tour, the former Atalanta starlet has seen his involvement hampered by injury, with the wait for the youngster to truly make his mark at the club still ongoing, after scoring once in just nine first-team appearances to date.
With Amad still yet to truly prove himself at the top level, the addition of Karlsson could well represent something of an upgrade on the flanks, with the 11-cap international having been hailed as "unpredictable" and "inventive" by transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Falkenberg-born star is coming off the back of a fine 2022/23 campaign in which he scored 13 goals and registered eight assists in 33 games in all competitions, with that taking his tally for AZ to 79 goal involvements in 123 appearances in total.
Also lauded as a "very tricky winger" by journalist Josh Bunting, Karlsson's superior creative threat is shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 17% among his European peers for progressive passes, while Amad ranks in just the top 27% in that regard.
That ability to provide quality service from his wide berth is also shown by the fact that the Swede created ten big chances and averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the Eredivisie last term, while Amad created just four big chances and averaged just 1.1 key passes, while competing in England's second tier.
That would suggest that if Ten Hag is looking to find a suitable fit to rival the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony next season, then Karlsson could represent a more impressive, proven option than that of Amad.
