Manchester United will soon find out if Ralf Rangnick was right about £52m transfer suggestion

As Manchester United’s supporters sit patiently, desperately awaiting positive news on the takeover front, clubs around them are pressing ahead with their summer transfer activity.

Aside from tabling a second and improved offer for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, it has been an incredibly quiet start to the summer at Old Trafford. United are desperate to strengthen their squad but ongoing uncertainty with the takeover situation means that manager Erik ten Hag has so far failed to make any progress.

As frustrating as that is on its own, the situation is not being helped by the strides United’s rivals are making. Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign Mateo Kovacic. Liverpool have already snapped up Alexis MacAllister. Arsenal are reported to have reached an agreement for Kai Havertz and are not giving up on Declan Rice. And Chelsea have officially completed the signing of Christopher Nkunku.

With the exception of Havertz, each member of the aforementioned quintet would have boosted United’s squad. The Reds want to bolster their midfield options this summer and have made signing a striker their top priority.

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United are desperate to add a fresh source of goals to their ranks and are continuing to run the rule over a cluster of strikers, though ongoing uncertainty with the takeover is dictating what they will be capable of achieving. All things considered, however, you have to question whether Nkunku would have been a suitable and sensible fit.

The Frenchman officially completed a £52million move to Chelsea on Tuesday, several months after a deal was agreed between all parties for the forward to make the switch to London. He has become their first signing of the summer and, certainly on paper, it looks as though it could be a shrewd one, which is unusual for the Blues, considering how they have operated ever since owner Todd Boehly came to power.

Nkunku, snapped up from RB Leipzig, plundered a very impressive 58 goals across the last two seasons, including 35 during the 2021/22 campaign. He has also racked up 29 assists over the last two campaigns, meaning he has scored 58 goals and registered 29 assists since the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

With 87 direct goal contributions to his name over the last two seasons, the versatile attacker will add plenty of creativity to Chelsea’s ranks, offering new head coach Mauricio Pochettino hope that their goalscoring woes will be a thing of the past. Of course, as is the case with any transfer, there are no guarantees that Nkunku will be able to replicate his Bundesliga form in England, but his reputation and recent record will offer Pochettino encouragement.

For United, however, they will be hoping that he doesn’t maintain his impressive record. That is because the 25-year-old was recommended to them by former interim manager Ralf Rangnick during the German’s short-term spell in charge at Old Trafford.

Rangnick, speaking to German publication Bild last October, said: “It was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas. That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.

“Those were names that were realistic.”

Considering United are now seemingly having to scramble around looking for a striker, they might have missed a potential trick by not adhering to Rangnick’s advice. Nkunku would have been an attainable target and he would have been a significant upgrade to United’s current centre-forward options.

He is also a versatile operator, meaning he would have been aligned with Ten Hag’s preference for members of his squad to be as adaptable as possible. The Dutchman is no stranger to asking his players to adapt to different roles at different junctures.

At £52million, Nkunku would have been attainable for United, capable of coming in and spearheading their forward line without blowing all of their budget in one go. Time will tell if the club was right or wrong to ignore Rangnick’s advice.