Man Utd in talks to sign “remarkable” big-money Zirkzee upgrade this month

Manchester United have struggled to find any consistency in the Premier League this season, languishing in 14th place with 22 points after 19 games played. The Red Devils have only scored 21 goals (the 5th fewest in the division this season), with the likes of Leicester, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all scoring more.

Ruben Amorim took charge of United in November, becoming the sixth person to take the role vacated by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Their new Portuguese manager has a very different style compared to previous coaches such as Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag, lining his side up in more of a 3-4-2-1 formation.

At his previous club, Amorim had Viktor Gyokeres, who was scoring for fun. Now he has the choice between Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, both of whom have their strengths, but with the Red Devils struggling to find the back of the net on a consistent basis, another forward acquisition cannot be ruled out.

Man Utd looking at new centre forward in January

According to reports from journalist Graeme Bailey, Manchester United are one of the clubs said to be interested in PSG forward, Randal Kolo Muani. Bailey stated in the reports that Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea had all held talks in the past week with Kolo Muani’s team.

Despite receiving interest from Italy and Turkey too, the Frenchman is said to prefer a move to England. However, having paid £64.2m for him back in 2023, the French giants will want to recoup a large fee for the 26-year-old, making the deal slightly more complicated.

Hailed as a player with “remarkable technical ability” by German legend Lothar Matthaus, Kolo Muani has made 14 appearances in all competitions for PSG so far this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist and totalling just 453 minutes played.

Joshua Zirkzee vs Kolo Muani comparison

Manchester United’s striking duo have scored just 11 goals between them in all competitions this season, Hojlund making 22 appearances

, scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 1,294 minutes, and Zirkzee making 27 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals, providing two assists in 1,062 minutes.

Zirkzee was signed for a fee of around £36.5m from Bologna last summer, but has found himself playing a variety of roles under the new coach, sometimes playing as one of the wide inside forwards behind the striker, and other times being tasked with being the focal point for Amorim’s side.

Sadly, that hasn’t exactly gone according to plan with the Dutchman hauled off after just 33 minutes against Newcastle in what was his worst moment at Old Trafford to date.

So, when comparing Zirkzee to Kolo Muani, you can see the difference in their play style, as the Dutch forward provides more progressive passes and more assists, looking to drop into pockets of space, link play and combine with his teammates.

On the other hand, Kolo Muani looks to be a more direct threat, running in behind, stretching opposition defensive lines, getting plenty of touches in and around the penalty area, getting a high volume of shots off, and even winning his aerial duels, standing at 6 foot 1.

With Kylian Mbappe labelling his France teammate Kolo Muani as a “very complete” forward, stating he is a striker who offers “different game options” to the team, the 26-year-old could be a great signing for the Red Devils, to add a more direct threat to their front line.