Four stop-gap strikers Man Utd could turn to if Besiktas keep Weghorst

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Manchester United remain hopeful and confident they can land Wout Weghorst but the Red Devils will have to wait until Besiktas sign a replacement before welcoming the Dutchman to Old Trafford. The Black Eagles’ president Ahmet Nur Cebi has already made that abundantly clear and even conceded that the 30-year-old centre-forward could yet stay put, declaring: “In this critical period, I will not leave the team without a striker. If we agree on the terms after getting a quality striker, we will send Weghorst away. Otherwise, Weghorst will stay in the team.”

In the aftermath of those comments, Express Sport analyses four potential alternatives United could hypothetically explore should their move for Weghorst be blocked by the Turkish giants.

Vincent Aboubakar

It’s a classic transfer market triangle; Cristiano Ronaldo joins Al-Nassr from United, United then want Weghorst and Besiktas want Aboubakar to replace the Dutchman.

They are still confident of signing the Cameroonian which would ultimately unlock Weghorst’s move but if Weghorst does not join Besiktas for whatever reason, Aboubakar could be up for grabs.

Reports in Saudi Arabia have recently claimed that United have already explored the avenue but the substance of those claims are somewhat questionable at this moment in time.

Aboubakar remains in talks with Al-Nassr over the potential termination of his contract and he certainly knows where the goal is.

Throughout his career, he has rattled home 138 goals in 351 matches at club level while also bagging 35 in 95 for Cameroon.

He is also a player with a similar profile to Weghorst so stylistically, it’s one that would actually make sense for United if they’re going after a stop-gap, short-term option.

Michail Antonio

This would be a very interesting one and name-checking him comes amid reports Wolves could look to sign Antonio from West Ham.

There are doubts as to whether the Hammers would be prepared to let him go but Antonio hasn’t started as many matches as he would have liked this season.

Gianluca Scamacca’s arrival has seen him drop out of the starting XI and even when he has played, Antonio has not been up to scratch.

Add to that, West Ham have reignited their interest in signing Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla, although the Moroccan has already declined the chance to move to the Premier League.

Antonio could do a credible job for United in attack by holding the ball up and creating gaps for others to exploit. He is also crucially Premier League proven.

Edin Dzeko

Perhaps unrealistic due to his Manchester City connection, Dzeko is still the ultimate old-fashioned centre-forward and one that has to go down in history as one of the most underrated of his generation.

The Bosnian has won trophies and scored goals in Germany, England and Italy and is showing no signs of slowing down despite his age.

Furthermore, he is also out of contract with Inter in the summer meaning now could be a good time for United to explore a deal.

Should he fail to agree an extension with Inter imminently, Dzeko could be up for grabs on the cheap this month.

He is once again a similar profile to Weghorst, although he is unlikely to be able to play as regularly as the Burnley frontman who is six years his senior.

Jamie Vardy

Another wildcard option, Vardy could be a really rare pickup if United were to be bold enough and move for the speedy veteran.

The Leicester frontman has scored just once in the Premier League this season and barring a late turnaround, he is unlikely to hit double figures in the top-flight for the first time in eight years.

Vardy isn’t starting every match anymore with Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho both also getting a reasonable share of minutes for the Foxes.

That could encourage Vardy to consider any offers that arrive on the table as he approaches the final stage of his career.

He is a very different fit to Weghorst but nonetheless, there is no doubting he would score goals for United.

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