United considering shock swoop for 35-year-old Jamie Vardy …after agreeing to let go Ronaldo
Manchester United are reportedly considering a shock move for Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy as Erik ten Hag continues his search for attacking reinforcements.
United sit bottom of the Premier League with a goal difference of minus five after two defeats from their opening two fixtures, including Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing at Brentford.
Ten Hag’s men have scored just one league goal – and that was an own goal – pointing to a lack of firepower in the Dutchman’s squad and now 35-year-old Vardy has emerged as a target according to The Athletic.
United have turned their attention to Vardy following fan backlash after the club entered talks to sign Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic last week.
The move angered sections of the club’s fanbase, leading to bosses opting against a swoop for the Austrian.
Vardy is into his 10th season at the King Power Stadium and it remains to be seen whether a move to Old Trafford would be of interest to the striker at this stage of his Career.
The former England international has resisted the overtures of a so-called top six club before when Arsenal approached Leicester for the striker in the wake of the Foxes’ miraculous title win in 2016.
After pondering the move, Vardy opted to remain at Leicester where he went on to represent the club in the Champions League and Europa League whilst adding to his trophy haul by lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021.
Vardy is not the only option for Ten Hag with United keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
Morata, 29, knows all about the Premier League after a three-year stint at Chelsea between 2017 and 2020.
Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas is also on United’s radar after an impressive two-year spell at the La Liga club.
De Tomas has netted 45 times in 89 appearances for Espanyol making a host of Europe’s top clubs sit up and take notice of the 27-year-old.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag has reportedly had a change of heart regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at United and is now open to letting the wantaway forward to leave.
The 37-year-old’s future at Old Trafford has been up in the air ever since he declared his intention to quit the club earlier in the summer, following their failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Ten Hag – who became the club’s first manager in 101 years to lose his first two games following their 4-0 hammering at Brentford on Saturday – had remained adamant throughout the transfer window that Ronaldo remains part of his plans for this season. – MailOnline