MANCHESTER UNITED reportedly attempted to hijack Borussia Dortmund’s deal for Karim Adeyemi.
But the Red Devils were left red-faced when the RB Salzburg striker SNUBBED their mega-money contract offer worth £150,000 a week.
claims Adeyemi will definitely join Dortmund for £32million on a five-year deal despite United’s last-gasp approach.
Ralf Rangnick expressed his desire to see two new strikers join the club after last night’s 3-0 win against Brentford.
And it’s believed he had earmarked Germany international Adeyemi for one of those roles.
The 20-year-old has been in top form this term, scoring 17 goals in 26 league outings for his Austrian club.
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United, already without Mason Greenwood, will lose Edinson Cavani on a free transfer this summer.
Meanwhile, there are also doubts over the futures of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
And Rangnick feels it’s imperative to strengthen the front line before examining other areas of United’s squad.
But the German, who moves into a consultancy role to assist new boss Erik ten Hag, will have to look elsewhere.
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Adeyemi was reportedly unfazed by United’s contract offer, as he believes he has a better chance of developing into a top star at Dortmund.
The Germans have a proven track record with young players, transforming Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland into world-class talents.
The latter is expected to depart this summer due to his £64million release clause, with Manchester City strongly linked.
And Adeyemi will slot straight into Dortmund’s side as Haaland’s replacement, with the Germans having already snapped up Niklas Sule from Bayern and Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg.
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United aren’t the first English side to express an interest in Adeyemi, with Quadruple hopefuls Liverpool linked before they swooped for Benfica’s Luis Diaz in January.
Arsenal were also looking at Adeyemi but were put off by his bumper price tag.