Erik ten Hag 'gives go-ahead' for Manchester United to sign £88m-rated striker: report

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United on 31 December, 2022 at Molineux in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
(Image credit: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has reportedly given his approval for Manchester United to sign hotshot Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos this summer.

The Portuguese international – who truly announced himself at last year's World Cup – has been in prolific form for club and country this season, scoring 27 goals in 43 appearances.

United are set to be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, having parted ways with Cristiano Ronaldo in November and loaned in Wout Weghorst as stop-gap solution.

Manchester United rumoured transfer target Goncalo Ramos of Benfica, pictured celebrating his team's second goal during the Primeira Liga match between Benfica and Vitoria Guimaraes at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on March 18, 2023 in Lisbon Portugal.

Ramos has helped Benfica reach the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League (Image credit: Joao Rico/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

According to Spanish outlet AS, Ten Hag has 'given the go-ahead' for United to go out and get Ramos, who is currently valued by Transfermarkt at just over £35m and is also claimed to be a target for Real Madrid.

But it would constitute daylight robbery were the 21-year-old to move for such a low fee, and Benfica's reported valuation of roughly £88m feels far more realistic.

Ramos joins a growing list of strikers linked with a switch to Old Trafford this off-season: Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen, and Atalanta prodigy Rasmus Hojlund are also said to be under consideration by United.

Out of those four names, Ramos would likely be the second-cheapest option – although, if his rumoured price tag is to be believed, that's rather relative...

Goncalo Ramos of Portugal celebrates at full-time of the FIFA World Cup 2022 last 16 match between Portugal and Switzerland at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 6, 2022 in Lusail, Qatar.

Ramos has scored four goals in seven caps for Portugal (Image credit: Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Ramos' goalscoring exploits have seen him compared to former Liverpool and Barcelona marksman Luis Suarez.

The Benfica academy product was handed his senior debut for Portugal's most decorated club at the age of 17 back in 2019; he's gone on to make 95 appearances in all competitions, finding the net 38 times.

But it was his explosive competitive international debut which really made the world sit up and take notice: starting ahead of the dropped Ronaldo, Ramos hit a hat-trick as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 5-1 in the last 16 of Qatar 2022.

More Manchester United stories

Declan Rice continues to be linked with a move to United, while Jeremie Frimpong and Axel Disai could arrive at right-back and centre-back respectively.

More outlandish theories include signing Kylian Mbappe and selling Marcus Rashford to Arsenal

The Glazer ownership are not guaranteed to sell up – despite bids from lifelong fan Sir Jim Radcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...