Manchester United are reportedly planning another raid on Erik ten Hag's former club, Ajax, with promising forward Mohammed Kudus potentially set to join Lisandro Martinez and Antony at Old Trafford.
What's the latest on Kudus to Man United?
According to journalist James Ducker, the Ghanaian playmaker is under consideration as a possible attacking recruit for United this summer, with the transfer insider writing on Twitter: "…Ten Hag also likes Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus. Not just targeting out and out No 9…"
In his attached piece for The Telegraph, Ducker goes on to add that the Red Devils have a 'firm interest' in the exciting 22-year-old, as there is a belief that the club's new forward addition does not necessarily have to be an orthodox striker, like Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund.
As the report also notes, however, the Carabao Cup winners are set to face competition from rivals Chelsea and Arsenal for the former Nordsjaelland ace, with a fee of around £40m having been suggested as a possible price tag this summer.
How good is Mohammed Kudus?
It is fair to say that Ten Hag has shown a pattern with regard to his transfer dealings during his time in Manchester thus far, with the recent signing of Andre Onana from Inter Milan having been the acquisition of yet another player that the Dutchman has worked with previously – alongside the likes of Martinez and Antony last summer.
A move for Kudus could be a continuation of that trend, with the 5 foot 9 ace – who has been dubbed "one of the best players in the Eredivisie" by talent scout Jacek Kulig – potentially set to allow the United boss to oust Jadon Sancho from the side moving forward.
The latter man has been heavily linked with a departure throughout the summer after enduring a difficult first two seasons at the Theatre of Dreams, with club legend Dwight Yorke suggesting that the 23-year-old is now on "borrowed time" due to his ongoing woes.
Although The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell has recently reported that Ten Hag has been trialling the Englishman in a false nine role in pre-season so far in a 'genuine attempt' to see if he could take on that starting berth next season, it may be that Kudus is a more suitable fit for that attacking slot.
Much like last summer in which Alex Telles was utilised in an unorthodox left centre-back role in pre-season ahead of the signing of Lisandro Martinez, perhaps Ten Hag is merely using Sancho as something of a guinea pig to then slot in Kudus later down the line.
The Ajax ace has shown his devastating talent of late after registering 11 goals and three assists in the Eredivisie last season – having been deployed all across the front line – while the current United man scored just six goals and provided three assists in the Premier League.
That came with the latter man typically operating out wide, with the move to a central role something of a surprise as he has only started through the middle a handful of times throughout his career to date, in contrast to Kudus, who has far more regularly lead the line – doing so on 39 occasions.
A further benefit of the Nima-born ace is his impressive work rate as he seemingly has an "amazing engine" – according to Kulig – while Sancho, by contrast, was criticised by club legend Paul Scholes for his lack of defensive contributions during the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City back in October.
With the one-time Borussia Dortmund sensation having had more than enough time to impress since joining back in 2021, the signing of Kudus could well prove to be the end of his hopes of making the grade at Old Trafford.