Erik Ten Hag Striker Target Brian Brobbey Labelled Manchester United As "Dream" Club

Manchester United’s pursuit of a new striker has taken a positive turn, as young Dutch starlet Brain Brobbey has spoken of his dream to join the Red Devils.

With Manchester United in need of a new striker due to the likelihood of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club, they may have found a potential replacement in Brian Brobbey, with the player appealingly eager for a move to Old Trafford.

This comes as it is revealed that Erik ten Hag's next transfer priority is a striker.

It has been reported by Spanish outlet, MARCA, that Brobbey spoke on his dream of "going to Manchester United" after making his senior debut for Ajax, something he has now done.

After developing in the ranks of Ajax’s youth teams, Brobbey left the Dutch club, moving to RB Leipzig in the 2021 summer window. 

This move failed to workout however, with severely limited game time at Leipzig resulting in a loan move back to Ajax for the second half of the 21/22 season, where he was managed by new United boss, Erik ten Hag.

Here, the 20 year-old scored 7 goals in 11 games, reigniting his reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting emerging talents.

Having managed the talent at Ajax last year, Ten Hag is reportedly keen to bring the striker to Manchester United and make him a part of the project going forward.

A deal between RB Leipzig and Ajax is thought to be close for the Brobbey, meaning United will need to make their interest formal soon to have any chance at hijacking the deal.

A move to hijack this deal would echo of the deal to sign Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, where Lyon had already agreed terms before United swooped in to secure Malacia for themselves.

It is thought Brobbey would cost roughly £13m, with this being a relatively low fee for a striker of such promise.

The big question surrounding the deal would be whether Brobbey is an adequate replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, with this being a monumental task for even the best strikers in Europe.

Whilst Brobbey has displayed both ability and potential, his goalscoring form hasn’t been consistent enough to justify a starting place at such a big club contending for multiple trophies and silverware over the season.

This in turn begs the question as to whether, if Brobbey does sign for United, whether another striker would be brought in to provide more experience at the top of the pitch.

These questions are asked on the assumption Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Old Trafford, with this yet to be confirmed as United remain adamant he is not for sale.

The Portuguese icon is not a part of the club’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia, indicating that he will not be a part of the team for next season.

In this case, United will need to ensure that adequate cover is provided sooner rather than later, whether that is Brobbey or perhaps a more established forward.