According to a report from Sky Germany, Premier League giants Manchester United have set their sights to Germany on Eintracht Frankfurt’s Portuguese striker Andre Silva ahead of the summer transfer window.
Silva has been on a roll in the current campaign. The 25 year-old has already plundered 19 goals and grabbed 5 assists from just 22 games in all competitions. His tally of 18 goals in the Bundesliga this term has only been bettered by Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (25). His quality in the air could be utilised well by United, five of his goals this season have been headers.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has the likes of Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood as his current options for the position. Even though Greenwood is being deployed on the right, another problamatic position in our team, its a known fact that he will blossom into a lethal striker. Rashford can play the odd role here as well, albeit not as well as his de facto Wide Raider role on the left.
The experienced Uruguayan is arguably the only natural number nine out of the four but his contract runs out this summer unless United opt to trigger a one-year extension. As such, Solskjaer appears to want more depth in the position and wants to ensure it’s a natural goalscorer rather than a former winger.
Silva burst once the scene for Porto as a youngster, netting 21 goals in the 2016/17 season. This is a tally he has not yet beaten, although this year he is finally on course to do so.
His form convinced AC Milan to sign him up for £33.6 million, which turned out to be a bad decision. Milan were going through a tough spell and Silva did not adapt well to Serie A. While he scored 10 goals in his debut season, his league form saw him score just two times in 24 games.
He had a loan at Sevilla where he scored 11 times and then at Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 16 goals, who saw enough of him to buy him permanently for a fee described by AC Milan Info as ‘ridiculously low’, around £8 million.
While he has started getting his strut on, while on the pitch; he deserves credit for his mentality to recover from his ill-fated spell at Milan and finding a place to succeed. It wasn’t easy for him being labelled a big money flop at such an early age, just a year after being touted as a wonderkid.
He is still only 25 and has amassed plenty of experience, at international level too. Silva has scored 16 international goals for Portugal where he has the benefit of playing alongside Bruno Fernandes. This is a link up which could help both players if he signed for United.
If United wanted to sign Erling Haaland this summer he will cost in excess of his £66 million release clause which only comes into effect in 2022. Clubs are likely looking at £80 million plus. He’s on the wanted list of Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and admired by all teams in the world, making his aquisition very difficult , if not impossible.
Silva presents a more sensibly priced alternative. He would cost more likely in the £30-40 million price range, considering the low fee Frankfurt paid for him last summer. This would allow United to spend more money on other areas, namely central defence and possibly bringing in another RIGHT winger.
There are a couple of red flags of course.
Firstly that Silva flopped at Milan. How will he cope at a big club again, and what if it doesn’t start well?
Frankfurt’s two other top strikers in recent times, Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller, have also found it difficult after leaving the club.
It is also worth noting that six of Silva’s 18 Bundesliga goals have been penalties. He wouldn’t get those at United, with Fernandes taking them.
Silva is an intriguing option though. He can score with both feet, and his head, and he is on course to score more Bundesliga goals in a single season than any Frankfurt player ever. It’s only mid-February and he has 22 for the season. United would be acting sensibly by taking a look at this early stage.
