Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is seemingly ready to raid his former club Ajax once again, amid claims that the Dutchman is keen on a reunion with Mohammed Kudus this summer.
What's the latest on Kudus to Man United?
According to journalist David Ornstein – writing in his weekly column for The Athletic – the Red Devils are reportedly among the clubs who are keeping tabs on the Ghanaian international, with the 22-year-old seemingly intent on leaving the Eredivisie side at the end of the season.
The report claims that the 23-cap gem – who is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Newcastle United – only recently rejected a new one-year extension on his current deal, with the player's existing contract set to expire in the summer of 2025.
As such, the Amsterdam outfit could well sanction a sale for the former Nordsjaelland ace if he does not agree to a renewal, with the piece noting that a fee of around £40m could be enough for the likes of United to strike a deal.
Who could Kudus replace at Man United?
The 5 foot 9 sensation appears to be a player that Ten Hag is keen to link up with in the near future, with Manchester Evening News having reported back in February that the Dutchman believes the versatile forward has the 'attributes to excel in the Premier League'.
With the 53-year-old having already prised both Lisandro Martinez and Antony from his former employers last summer, it would be no surprise to see him again return to the Johan Cruyff Arena in order to snap up Kudus, with the exciting talent having enjoyed a stellar campaign thus far.
The much-coveted dynamo has scored 18 goals and provided six assists in 42 games across all fronts this season, proving an invaluable asset due to his ability to feature in a playmaking role, on the flanks or as a centre-forward.
The youngster's attacking flexibility could well make him a dream replacement for Anthony Martial in the forward line, with the injury-prone asset – who has missed 27 games this season – looking set for an exit from Old Trafford ahead of next season.
The long-serving Frenchman has scored only eight goals and provided only three assists in 27 games in all competitions so far this term, notably scoring just twice in his last ten league outings as a marker of his lack of consistency.
A major benefit of snapping up Kudus in his place would be the Ajax man's superior creative prowess as he has averaged 3.38 progressive passes and 3.38 progressive carries per 90 over the last 365 days, as per FBref, while Martial by contrast, has averaged just 2.97 and 1.66 for those same two metrics, respectively.
Equally, the Ghana international – who has been hailed as "fun to watch" by Dutch icon Marco van Basten – also seemingly possesses a great work ethic having averaged 1.27 tackles per 90, while the current United man has averaged just 0.44 for the same metric.
With Martial's time seemingly up after almost eight years in Manchester, Ten Hag could put the final nail in the striker's Man United career by turning to the fleet-footed Kudus this summer.
