Etta Eyong: Man United face Barcelona competition for LaLiga star | OneFootball

Manchester United’s recent goalscoring record doesn’t make for good reading. The Red Devils have struggled in the final third in the past few years, despite investing heavily in attack.

The Premier League giants scored 73 times in the league in the 2020/21 campaign, but that number dropped to 57 the following season. They were only marginally better in the 2022/23 campaign, registering 58 goals in the league.

United found the back of the net 57 times in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign, despite breaking the bank for Rasmus Hojlund in the summer of 2023. Joshua Zirkzee was signed from Bologna before the start of last season, but the Red Devils ended the campaign with just 44 league goals in 38 games.

It is no wonder that Ruben Amorim invested heavily in the transfer market this summer to revamp his attack.

A summer of attacking reinforcements

INEOS used all their resources in trying to upgrade United’s attack before the start of the new season. Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony were all shown the door this summer.

In came Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in big-money deals, with the Red Devils spending around £200m to refurbish their frontline.

The Slovenian was brought in to solve United’s long-standing No. 9 crisis, with neither Zirkzee nor Hojlund living up to the hype at the Theatre of Dreams.

While Sesko has already shown promise, the Premier League giants are not resting on their laurels. Recent reports have suggested that United have identified Levante’s Etta Eyong as an option to further bolster the attack in the future.

The Red Devils have shifted their focus to emerging talents in recent transfer windows, and the 21 year old has already taken the European circuit by storm. However, it now appears that the Premier League giants could face competition from LaLiga in the race for the Cameroonian.

Barcelona have retained interest in Eyong

According to SPORT, Barcelona have retained their interest in Eyong. The Catalans were keen to sign the player from Villarreal this summer, but he ended up joining Levante instead.

The Cameroonian started the season with a bang, scoring one goal and setting up two more from three games for the Yellow Submarine. He has continued his explosive start since moving to Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, registering four goals and one assist from five games for Levante.

United are keen to secure his signature, but it now appears that the reigning Spanish champions haven’t given up on the young striker yet. Eyong was reportedly open to a move to Camp Nou this summer, but the transfer failed to materialise due to the club’s poor finances.

His release clause has since jumped to €30m from €10m, but Barcelona are hoping to raise enough funds to complete a deal in 2026. The Cameroonian has been identified as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski, whose contract expires next summer.

United, meanwhile, are likely to be in the market for a new striker amid uncertainties surrounding Joshua Zirkzee’s future. The chance to add a rising star like Eyong to Amorim’s roster could be too tempting for INEOS to turn down.

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