Manchester United continue to be linked with a transfer move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, with Italian outlet Calciomercato insisting another British record fee could be in the offing.
This follows previous reports from back in January that it would likely cost the Red Devils at least £100m to sign him, while Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg claimed that while United still have the Nigerian as a potential summer transfer target, the club are reluctant to spend the significant amount of money it would take to secure his signature.
With that in mind, another striker United have recently been linked with who is currently doing the business in Italy that we feel could be an ideal alternative to Osimhen is Lautaro Martinez.
After scoring 27 goals in 62 appearances for his previous side Racing Club, the striker joined Inter back in the 2018 summer transfer window.
Since then, the Argentinian has found the net 89 times in 212 appearances across all competitions.
This season has seen the 25-year-old score 12 goals in 22 Serie A appearances, racking up more shots at goal (79) and shots on target (30) than Osimhen, who has posted 71 shots and 29 on target himself.
His overall performances have earned Martinez a strong season rating of 7.28/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at Inter.
This rating would make him the second-highest-rated player at United this season behind Bruno Fernandes (7.31/10), further highlighting how impressive he has been this season.
Who would you rather see Man United sign?
Victor Osimhen
Lautaro Martinez
Hailed for his “magical” ability by journalist Carlo Garganese, the £189k-per-week centre-forward also featured in six of Argentina’s seven World Cup matches during the recent tournament in Qatar which saw the South American side win the trophy.
Depending on the financial side of things, if the club are still reluctant to pay the money for Osimhen, securing a potential deal for Martinez, who had been valued as low as around £50m in the summer, could be the next best thing for them.
Moving forward, if bringing in a new striker is a priority for Erik ten Hag in the summer, the club should definitely consider launching a move for the Inter star.