Manchester United have had a mixed transfer record when it comes to attacking players over the past few seasons.
They have made expensive mistakes in the form of Antony and Rasmus Hojlund, who were signed for a combined outlay of more than £150m but failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.
United spent around £200m on Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha last summer and their debut season has provided reasons to be positive, although none of them have been prolific.
Manchester United 'irritated' by stumbling block in talks over forward
Sesko is United's top scorer in all competitions this season, with 11 goals, which means the club look set to complete a third successive campaign without any of their players reaching 20 goals.
The last United player to reach that mark was Marcus Rashford, who hit 30 in 2022/23 and is still contracted to the club - but appears to be surplus to requirements.
The England forward has two years left on his deal at Old Trafford but he is free to find a new club this summer, according to The Sun.
Rashford has spent this season on loan at Barcelona, where he has scored 13 goals in 45 appearances, after falling out of favour under former United boss Ruben Amorim.
The Sun claims that the Spanish giants have a £26m option to turn the 28-year-old's loan deal into a permanent move, but it is unclear whether they want to trigger the clause.
United sources have reportedly expressed irritation at Barca's attempts to lowball them in negotiations over Rashford, who is being represented by a third party during talks.
The clubs remain in discussions, but if Barcelona are unwilling to pay the asking price then the Three Lions star could return to Camp Nou for a second loan spell next term, as he is not involved in United's plans for 2026/27.
It promises to be a summer of change at Old Trafford, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to revamp his squad in preparation for a return to the Champions League next season.
Uncertainty also remains over the future of interim head coach Michael Carrick, who is still officially in charge only until the end of the campaign despite steering United to third in the Premier League since taking over from Amorim in January.
The former United midfielder has won nine of his 13 games in charge, taking 29 points from a possible 39, with Monday night's 2-1 victory over Brentford all-but securing a Champions League place.
