Man Utd get blessing to sign prolific 182-goal striker as club president can’t match bid; new transfer leaders named
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag applauds fans
There has been a double update on the future of Manchester United striker target Mehdi Taremi, with Erik ten Hag discovering that Porto cannot match the Red Devils’ contract offer, though a European giant has reportedly moved into pole position for the signing.
Taremi is a proven goalscorer, though he has not always played at the highest level. He has managed 182 goals in 358 appearances while playing for the likes of Portuguese clubs Porto and Rio Ave, plus Qatari outfit Al Gharafa.
Porto are by far the biggest club Taremi has played for, and he has adapted well to life at the Estadio do Dragao, having netted 83 times in 163 matches since moving from Rio Ave in August 2020.
However, the Iranian’s time at Porto could soon be coming to an end. He is heading towards the end of his contract and the Primeira Liga giants are yet to tie him down to a new deal.
Taremi’s contract situation means he could be on the move in a cut-price deal this winter. Alternatively, the attacker could wait until next summer before securing a transfer as a free agent.
On November 3, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed Taremi to be on Ten Hag’s shortlist as the Dutchman searches for alternative striker signings to Ivan Toney. Of course, Man Utd recently spent big money on Rasmus Hojlund, but they need another centre-forward to join as Anthony Martial will soon depart.
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However, Man Utd are not the only English club to be tipped off about the potential cut-price deal on offer. Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the 31-year-old, as they never actually signed an experienced striker in the summer to replace Harry Kane.
Porto president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa has now been asked about Taremi potentially moving on to pastures news.
Porto chief discusses Man Utd target’s future
He has seemingly given a major club such as Man Utd his blessing to sign the player, by openly admitting that Porto do not have the funds to keep him.
“He [Taremi] has received €10m (£8.7m) per year salary offers from other clubs… it’s impossible to match that,” the club chief said (via Fabrizio Romano). “AC Milan came up last summer with ridiculous proposals that weren’t even worth talking about.”
Man Utd will be delighted that Porto are struggling to match some of the contract proposals Taremi is receiving. £8.7m works out at around £167k a week, and that is well within Man Utd’s reach. After all, their current highest earner, midfielder Casemiro, earns £350k per week.
However, it is not all good news for Man Utd in their pursuit of Taremi. As per Sports Mole, who cite reports emerging from Spain, Italian giants Inter have moved ahead of Man Utd and are now in pole position to capture Taremi.
The reports also provide some insight into how much a club will have to pay to snare him away from Porto in January. Da Costa has supposedly set his stall out at between €20-25m (£17.4-21.7m). Once again, Man Utd are clearly able to pay this, though it remains to be seen whether they will be happy to spend that much on a player who will soon enter the twilight years of his career.
It seems Man Utd have a good shot at signing Taremi in the near future, but they will need to barge past Spurs and Inter to reach an agreement for him.
