Manchester United’s summer transfer window has been relatively quiet, with just three senior signings completed as the deadline continues to approach.
Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have both arrived to bolster the midfield, with the pair reportedly costing a combined £85m to bring to Old Trafford.
Goalkeeper Karl Darlow has also joined the club, though he is expected to serve as backup cover for current first-choice stopper Senne Lammens.
Manager Michael Carrick’s rebuild might look considerably different today had the club acted decisively on Erling Haaland when the opportunity first presented itself years ago.
Former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been vocal about United’s failure to sign Haaland, having tried to alert the club even before taking charge of the team.
Solskjaer said: “I called Manchester United six months before I took over and told them that I’d got this striker, this boy Haaland that we had… but they didn’t listen.”
Even after Haaland’s move to RB Salzburg, Solskjaer pushed the club again, saying: “I tell the club straight away to buy him while he had a release clause.”
Solskjaer added: “We knew that then, and no one else would’ve paid the money – €20m, it would’ve been a bargain. It was the club’s decision to not go for it then.”
Haaland subsequently joined bitter rivals Manchester City, where he has won the Premier League’s top goalscorer award in three of his four seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian has scored eight goals in his seven Premier League appearances against United alone, consistently reminding the club of what they chose to pass up.
Now United are reportedly monitoring Inter Milan striker Francesco Pio Esposito, with The Sun reporting the 21-year-old features on their transfer shortlist this summer.
The report suggests Esposito “remains wide open to a dream move to England,” with both United and Arsenal credited with interest and a fee of around £73m suggested.
Esposito has drawn comparisons to Haaland thanks to his aerial dominance, registering 1.3 headed shots per game in Serie A last season, ranking him in the top 7% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues.
That aerial tally actually surpassed Haaland’s own numbers, while Esposito also managed 1.4 shots on target per 90 minutes, placing him above 86% of forwards in Italy’s top division.
His impressive aerial success rate of 53% further underlines the comparison with Haaland, with that figure bettering the City striker’s own rate throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
Esposito managed 11 goals across all competitions last term, and talent scout Jacek Kulig has labelled the Italian as “one of the most exciting U21 strikers in Europe.”
At £73m, the fee may seem steep given United’s cautious spending this summer, but history suggests that missing out on top young talent can carry a far greater long-term cost.
Nick Woltemade has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, though Newcastle United are unlikely to allow the German striker to leave before the window closes.
INEOS will be well aware that failing to act on promising young forwards has hurt the club before, making the decision on Esposito one of real strategic importance.
Whether United make a formal approach in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but Esposito’s profile suggests he could develop into exactly the talismanic striker the club has been missing since the Haaland saga began.