Moise Kean: Club chief refuses to rule out sale of Man United striker target | OneFootball

Manchester United may have been handed a massive boost in their bid to bring Italian striker Moise Kean back to the Premier League.

While a striker is not a key transfer priority, it remains a position that United might look to address this summer. Whether Benjamin Sesko‘s deputy, Joshua Zirkzee, stays or leaves remains unclear, but there is a strong possibility he will depart after two successive failed attempts to engineer an exit.

Should Zirkzee leave, he will need replacing, but who steps in?

Given the position is not a pressing concern, active links to striker targets have been few. There have been rumours that experienced names such as Danny Welbeck and Robert Lewandowski could come in to serve as mentors for Sesko. There have also been some links to younger striker options such as Karl Etta Eyong and Moise Kean.

Of those options, if Fiorentina’s Kean is the favoured choice should Zirkzee move on, United have now been handed a significant boost on that front.

Moise Kean placed in the shop window

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Fiorentina chief Fabio Paratici refused to rule out a potential Kean exit.

On whether the striker stays or leaves, he said via Laviola:

“As for Kean, he’s absolutely an asset to Italian football and Fiorentina. Everyone knows how fond I am of him; I’ve seen him grow from when he was 9 years old to the Champions League. I even sold him once under my management.

“I’m fond of him, like all the players I’ve had. But we’re in a transfer window. We hope and want him to be our number nine. But not all football clubs are masters of their own destiny on the market, except the top five or six in the world. I think this is a sincere and realistic response for our fans.”

Rather than pushing the narrative that Kean is untouchable, Paratici is clearly placing him in the shop window.

Kean sale could be key to Fiorentina’s rebuild

After a turbulent 2025-26 campaign that saw La Viola embroiled in a relegation battle, Fiorentina face a significant rebuild.

Kean, whom former Italy striker Christian Vieri labelled a “phenomenal” striker, is among their most saleable assets, and a sale would go a long way towards funding that overhaul.

Whether United move to capitalise remains to be seen.

Yes, his stats last season were underwhelming; Kean only scored eight goals in 26 games, but his numbers in the 2024-25 campaign were brilliant: 19 goals in 32 appearances showed how deadly he can be. He can be a capable alternative to Sesko up top.

INEOS attempted to sign him last summer and fell short. Now Fiorentina are offering them another chance to get the deal done.

Featured image Timothy Rogers via Getty Images

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