Report: Manchester United must pay £60m to sign 24-goal striker

That matters. Goals remain football’s hardest currency. A striker who can deliver them in England does not stay affordable for long, especially when Brazil are watching and a World Cup place is suddenly possible. Carlo Ancelotti’s call-up has changed Thiago’s profile, but his club form has changed his market.

At £60 million, United would not be buying potential alone. They would be buying evidence, adaptation and momentum. That is a very different calculation from gambling on a player from abroad and hoping the Premier League does not swallow him whole.

Midfield Priorities Could Shape United’s Summer

The complication is that United’s squad does not have one problem. It has layers of them. Midfield is expected to become the priority, with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte both linked with departures. If both leave, the club will need legs, authority and structure in the centre of the pitch before anything else.

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That leaves the Thiago question hovering rather than landing. United already have Benjamin Sesko, a player signed to become the attacking focal point. Joshua Zirkzee’s future may yet decide the issue. If he leaves, a second striker becomes necessary. If he stays, £60 million on Thiago starts to look like luxury shopping in a summer that may demand discipline.

Old Trafford Must Decide What Comes Next

There is another question, perhaps the biggest one. Would Thiago accept arriving as competition rather than certainty? At Brentford, he is central. At United, he would enter a louder, more chaotic ecosystem, one where every dry spell becomes an inquiry and every missed chance becomes a referendum.

Still, there is logic here. United need more goals, more athleticism and more certainty in the final third. Thiago appears to offer all three. The danger is not the player. The danger is United mistaking opportunity for strategy.

Good clubs sign good players. Great clubs sign the right players at the right time. Thiago may well be both. United must now prove they know the difference.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

From a Manchester United supporter’s perspective, this is exactly the kind of rumour that creates excitement and anxiety in equal measure. Igor Thiago looks like a proper Premier League striker, powerful, direct and productive. If he is genuinely second only to Erling Haaland for goals this season, then United should absolutely be paying attention.

The issue is squad balance. We have watched too many summers where United chase the shiny forward while the midfield remains underpowered, exposed and strangely incomplete. If Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte both leave, then midfield has to come first. There is no point signing another striker if the team cannot control matches or supply him properly.

That said, Zirkzee’s situation changes everything. If he moves on, United cannot leave Benjamin Sesko alone across a long season. Thiago would bring Premier League experience, physical presence and serious competition. That should raise standards.

The £60 million fee feels steep, but Brentford rarely sell cheaply once a player has exploded. United either act early and decisively, or watch another rival do it. For me, Thiago makes sense only if the midfield rebuild is already under control. Otherwise, it risks becoming another classic United transfer, exciting on paper, slightly confused in reality.