Manchester United handed blow as target ‘determined’ to join Champions League club: Reports

Manchester United have been handed a transfer blow in their pursuit of Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.

The Telegraph reports that Nunez is only keen for a move to a club that can offer him Champions League football.

The Red Devils, who finished sixth in the Premier League last season, will play in the Europa League in the upcoming term. According to The Telegraph, it can cost them the opportunity to sign the Uruguayan forward.

Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 games in the recently concluded season for Benfica, including six strikes in 10 games in the Champions League. The 22-year-old forward is reportedly courted by multiple clubs and will cost anywhere between £55m-65m.

---

Manchester United need forwards for the new season

Post the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus last summer, United were considered to be heavily armed in the frontline.

The likes of Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial could all play deputy to Ronaldo, giving the Red Devils five players to pick from.

However, United seem to have exhausted all but a few options in the past year. Cavani is set to leave the club after the expiration of his contract this summer. Greenwood is currently suspended indefinitely by the club for personal off-field reasons.

Martial spent the second half of the previous season on loan at Sevilla, where he failed to impress. It is unlikely he will be a dependable option for the Red Devils under new boss Erik ten Hag.

Rashford has suffered a major dip in form and is nowhere near his best at the moment. This has left United with Ronaldo as the only in-form striker going into the new season.

Ronaldo struck 24 goals in 39 games in the recently concluded campaign for the Red Devils but will turn 38 in February next year. Manchester United will have to consider their future as well while shopping for a new forward this summer.

Darwin Nunez, at 22, seems like a legitimate option for the Red Devils. He is a hitman who can hold the ball up and move around the box as well to bring his teammates into play.

However, if The Telegraph's reports are to be believed, Manchester United will need to look elsewhere to find their next number nine at Old Trafford.