Man Utd split with Amorim, Vivell in disagreement over £60m striker – report

 Ruben Amorim and Christopher Vivell are in disagreement over which striker to sign for Manchester United, according to a report, but the latest indications are that the Red Devils’ director of recruitment is winning the battle against Ruben Amorim.

Having made three major signings in the summer transfer window, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon, Man Utd are now on the hunt for a top-class number nine. Manager Amorim realised last season that he cannot rely on Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee to score the goals needed to finish in the Premier League top four.

After missing out on Liam Delap to Chelsea and Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal this summer, Man Utd are now going after Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig, as reported by TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher.

Man Utd have already been in contact with Watkins’s camp, with The Mirror reporting that the Villa value the England international striker at £60million (€69.5m, $79.5m).

While Villa have been adamant that they do not want to sell Watkins this summer, CaughtOffSide has reported that the Villans are already looking for a replacement for the 29-year-old striker.

One name our transfer insider can reveal is on Unai Emery’s radar is Porto’s goal machine Sami Aghehowa.

With Villa facing the prospect of Watkins joining Man Utd, Emery’s side are also now ‘seriously considering’ a bid for RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda.

Leipzig will not sell Openda on the cheap and want at least €60m (£51.8m, $68.6m) for the 25-year-old Belgium international striker, who scored 13 goals and gave 11 assists in 45 appearances last season.

According to the report, Man Utd manager Amorim is ‘really keen’ on Watkins, but the Red Devils’ director of recruitment Vivell is ‘the driving force’ behind the Red Devils’ quest to sign Sesko from Leipzig.

However, Newcastle United are also in the race for Sesko, who scored 21 goals and gave six assists in 45 appearances for Leipzig in the 2024/25 campaign.

Watkins was on Arsenal’s radar this summer, but with the north London club having signed Gyokeres from Sporting CP, that door is now closed for the 29-year-old, who scored 17 goals and gave 14 assists in 54 matches in all competitions for Villa in the 2024/25 campaign.

Benjamin Sesko over Ollie Watkins for Man Utd

Amorim may want Watkins in his team because of the Villa striker’s Premier League experience, but it seems that Vivell is winning the battle against the Man Utd manager.

Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft has claimed that Sesko ‘wants Manchester United’ despite interest from Newcastle.

The Daily Mail has reported that Newcastle internally feel that they will miss out on the signing of Sesko to Premier League rivals Man Utd.

Moreover, with Sesko, Man Utd also have the chance to get rid of Hojlund in a swap deal.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has said on his YouTube channel: “Man Utd are showing Leipzig the opportunity to include a player into the deal for Sesko.

“Then we have to see if the player is open to going to Leipzig because they have no European football [next season] for the first time in many years.

“So I don’t think it’s going to be easy to include a player in this deal, but it is showing how Man Utd are really trying to do business for Sesko.”

Paris Saint-Germain are expecting Man Utd to make a move for one of their star players, who has been made available in the summer transfer window.

Man Utd have been linked with a Man City star, with a report claiming that the Red Devils are ready to raid their city rivals.

Meanwhile, a Man Utd star has taken a dig at four players that manager Amorim does not want in his squad and is keen on getting rid of.