Manchester United Target £70m Igor Thiago from Brentford
Manchester United’s rebuild under Michael Carrick is starting to take on a sharper edge – and it now has a powerful Brazilian centre-forward right at its heart.
Igor Thiago, Brentford’s battering ram of a No 9 and last season’s second-highest scorer in the Premier League, has emerged as a serious target for United, who are ready to bend their own transfer rules to get him.
A new-look United, and a big summer spend
INEOS have mapped out an aggressive summer at Old Trafford. Around £200m has been earmarked for new arrivals as United try to turn last season’s third-place finish into something more substantial: a side that can live deep into the Champions League and stay the course in a title race.
The midfield is the first construction site. Casemiro is going, Manuel Ugarte can go, and United are planning at least two – and possibly three – new faces in that engine room. A deal for Atalanta’s Ederson is racing towards completion and is set to become the first signing of the Carrick era.
But the shake-up will not stop there. A new left-back is on the list. So is another centre-forward, even after last summer’s £73m outlay on Benjamin Sesko.
United want Sesko pushed, protected and educated. They have been scouring the market for an older, battle-hardened striker to share the load and the dressing-room wisdom.
Then Thiago’s name cut across the brief.
The ‘exception’ up front
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, United are prepared to make an “exception” to their plan for an experienced forward by moving for the 24-year-old Brentford striker.
Thiago is not the veteran they initially set out to find. What he is, though, is devastatingly effective.
He struck 22 goals in 38 league games last season, finishing behind only Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts. Across his senior career for club and country, he already has 90 goals. For Brazil, he has three caps and two goals, and he has done enough to earn a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.
United know his threat first-hand. Thiago has scored twice in three appearances for Brentford against them, bullying their back line and leaving a clear impression on the Old Trafford hierarchy.
Jacobs told The United Stand that United have begun exploring the “older and more experienced” striker market, but with one or two exceptions – Thiago prominent among them – should circumstances fall into place.
Those circumstances start with Joshua Zirkzee.
Zirkzee out, Thiago in?
United are open to letting Zirkzee leave after a short and stuttering stay, with a return to Serie A already floated. The plan is simple: cash in on Zirkzee, recycle the funds, and go hard for Thiago.
The problem? Brentford are not in the charity business.
The Bees are expected to demand around £70m for their star forward, a figure designed to test United’s resolve and deter suitors who are not fully committed. Thiago signed a new long-term contract earlier this year, which only strengthens Brentford’s hand.
Inside Old Trafford, though, there is a belief that this is the kind of deal worth stretching for. Sporting director Jason Wilcox is understood to see Thiago as an investment with both immediate impact and long-term value, and, as Jacobs reports, is willing to go the extra mile to try to make it happen.
A crowded race for a rising star
United will not get a clear run.
Transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey has previously detailed interest from Chelsea, who have been tracking Thiago as they look to reshape their own forward line. His World Cup involvement with Brazil is likely to send his profile – and possibly his price – even higher.
That leaves Brentford in a position of strength. They can hold, they can sell, they can wait for a bidding war. What they cannot do is guarantee Thiago will still be at the Gtech Community Stadium when the new season kicks off.
For United, the equation is stark. Move Zirkzee on. Decide whether Thiago is the right “exception” to their strategy. Then pay a fee that will sting.
If they do, they will be backing a 24-year-old who scores like a veteran, fights like a target man from another era, and has already shown he relishes the big stage – including the one at Old Trafford.
