Manchester United Make Contact to Sign Ajax Attacker Mohammed Kudus

According to latest reports, Manchester United are interested in signing Ajax attacker Mohammed Kudus and have apparently made contact with the player’s camp. Manager Erik ten Hag intends to bring in a forward in the upcoming window and has shortlisted the Ghanaian as a potential target.

Mohammed Kudus has 18 goals and 5 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions this season so far (stats via Transfermarkt). He is one of the brightest young attackers in Europe at the moment and could be reunited with his former boss Erik ten Hag.

The 22-year-old has featured in 21 games for the Ghana National Team, scoring 7 goals and assisting three times. He was also a member of 2022 FIFA World Cup squad for his country and scored two goals in 3 group stage matches.

According to 90min, Manchester United have shown a keen interest in signing Ajax starlet Mohammed Kudus this summer. Meanwhile, Ten Hag has also expressed his desire to re-link with the Ghanaian attacker, having played under the Dutch manager at Ajax earlier.

The Red Devils explored the idea of bringing the attacking midfielder to Old Trafford in the winter transfer window, but they opted to sign Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley instead. The report states that the club have extensively scouted the Ghanaian in 2023 and remain keen on the player.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨

Manchester United looked at Mohammed Kudus in January and Erik ten Hag remains a big fan 🔴

One issue, however, is #MUFC would prefer to sign and out-and-out striker rather than a versatile attacker 🤔

(@JacobsBen) pic.twitter.com/2RdrjIBZx5

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 14, 2023

Now, as reported by Football Insider, Manchester United have made contact with the representatives of Mohammed Kudus over a potential transfer in the summer and the signing could set the club back by around £48 million. The report further states that the attacker is keen to play for the Red Devils and has already disclosed this to his friends.

The Ghana international is actually an attacking midfielder, who can function as a striker or in central midfield. Primarily left-footed, the 22-year-old is very dynamic in the final-third and creates lots of chances for himself and his teammates.

He is a reliable finisher, as his 16 goals in the Eredivisie and Europe have come from an xG of just 12.4 (stats via Fbref). Kudus is a confident dribbler too and completes over 4 successful take-ons every 90 minutes. He is also solid at pressing the opposition from upfront.

https://twitter.com/_owurakuampofo/status/1635670267216183298

Erik ten Hag also rates the Ghanaian and would hugely benefit from such a profile at his disposal. The Dutchman has often opted for flexibility in his frontline this season. Wout Weghorst has been seen to drop into the “10” role to allow Marcus Rashford the space to cut in centrally. He can also start as a false-nine and drift between the “10” and wing roles brilliantly.

However, Manchester United could face heavy competition in their pursuit of Mohammed Kudus. With a contract until 2025, Ajax need not be in a particular hurry to find suitors. The Dutch club don’t have any pressure to offload the 22-year-old and can wait for the best offer.

Napoli, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich have all been tracking the attacker for a while now. Premier League clubs Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea have also sent scouts recently to track the attacker. Newcastle United have also been linked, while Everton were close to signing the youngster last summer.

The football world is getting smaller, and it is rare for players as good as Kudus to go under the radar for too long. The list of clubs interested in the 22-year-old is only likely to grow longer if he continues to perform at the same level.

The success of Erik ten Hag and his former Ajax players at Old Trafford is a strong incentive for the Ghanaian to join the Red Devils. But Manchester United will also need a good bid to match Ajax’s expectations to complete the signing.

Should Manchester United sign Mohammed Kudus? Let us know in the comments.

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