Manchester United enter race for Santiago Gimenez – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United are reportedly “ready” to enter the race to sign Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez.

The 22-year-old has been enjoying a fantastic season for Feyenoord, scoring 19 goals and providing 4 assists in just 20 Eredivisie games. The Rotterdam side currently sit second in the league, ten points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.

They also endured a tough Champions League campaign, being drawn alongside Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Celtic in Group E. They finished third, four points off qualification.

Gimenez only played four times during the group stages, owing to a suspension, but still managed to score twice and produce one assist.

If the Mexican had been available for all six games, Feyenoord may have been able to progress to the knock-out stages of the competition.

The 22-year-old joined the Dutch side in July 2022 from Cruz Azul – a first division club in Mexico City – in a deal worth €6 million. He would go on to score 15 goals in his debut season, helping Feyenoord to win only their second Eredivisie title this century in the process.

Gimenez’s goal-scoring rate only improved in his sophomore year, however.

18 goals in his opening 15 games this season meant Gimenez scored a total 31 goals in 2023, across two seasons – a new record for a calendar year in Holland. The previous incumbent – Luis Suarez with 30 goals – had held the record since 2009.

This record-breaking form has not gone unnoticed across Europe’s elite clubs.

Ekrem Konur (ESPN) reveals the 22-year-old has a host of admirers across the continent, with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal all keeping tabs on the striker.

Konur also indicates United are “ready to race” for Gimenez’s signature in the summer transfer window.

💣 💥 ❗ 🇲🇽 🔴⚪ #Feyenoord ❗
Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are ready to race for Feyenoord’s 22-year-old striker Santiago Gimenez in the summer transfer window.

🏟️ 27 Matches ⚽ 21 goals 🎯 5 Assists pic.twitter.com/JekH7rGCOD

— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) February 5, 2024

The club are believed to have made a new striker a priority ahead of next season with Erik ten Hag desperate to buttress his attack.

Rasmus Hojlund has impressed in his debut year, but additional reinforcements are needed given the form (or lack thereof) of Anthony Martial, and the general drought in goals amongst the rest of United’s forward line. The Frenchman will also almost certainly be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season when his contract expires, and will need replacing.

As such, a player with a relatively low-profile like Gimenez would make sense as an upgrade on Martial and a compliment to Hojlund in Ten Hag’s squad. Whether United will be able to strike a deal with Feyenoord for their record-breaking striker at a reasonable price is another story altogether.