Wolves forward Diogo Jota celebrates after scoring against Man United. (Getty Images)
According to a report by Calciomercato (h/t BBC), Manchester United are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Diogo Jota in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils made a panic buy of sorts during the recently concluded January transfer window. On deadline day, the club announced a loan deal for Odion Ighalo, who had been plying his trade in the Chinese Super League.
Marcus Rashford’s injury further laid bare the lack of power in the forward department. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s failure to replace Romelu Lukaku in the summer has cost them dearly this term and losing the young Rashford only forced the hierarchy to look for alternatives. And in came Ighalo on a temporary basis.
That said, this is not a permanent solution and United would be wise to look for a new striker in the upcoming transfer window. And to that end, a move for Jota makes sense.
The 23-year-old has been in decent enough form for Wolves this season. In 23 Premier League appearances, he has scored 5 goals and the youngster has been instrumental in Nuno Espirito Santo’s Europa League triumphs so far. In 5 appearances in the competition, Jota has chipped in with 6 goals.
The fact that he started in only 2 of those games does signify his ability to be a viable option from the bench – someone who can come in during the dying minutes of the game and make a difference.
While United do need an out-and-out striker, having a player like the Portuguese forward in the mix would not be a bad idea. During Javier Hernandez’s time at Manchester United, he won hearts by coming on as an impact substitute in the latter half of the game. And Jota can do a similar job for Man United if he replicates his current form.
To that end, United signing the 23-year-old would certainly be a sensible move. Solskjaer’s squad need goals to re-establish their dominion in English football and Jota has been providing that for Wolves. Since he is proven at the Premier League level as well, the Red Devils would be wise to complete a deal for him in the summer window.
