Manchester United reportedly tried and failed to hijack Borussia Dortmund's move for Red Bull Salzburg starlet Karim Adeyemi.
Since arriving in Austria as a 16-year-old in the summer of 2018, Adeyemi has risen through the ranks to establish himself as a clinical goalscorer for the national giants.
Adeyemi has struck 17 goals in 26 league matches for the Austrian champions this term - putting him two clear of Giacomo Vrioni at the top of the goalscoring charts.
The 20-year-old has also been no stranger to strong showings in Europe with three goals and two assists from eight Champions League games this season, contributing against Lille, Wolfsburg and Sevilla.
Adeyemi's existing contract with Salzburg only has two years left to run, and he is expected to seek pastures new at the end of the current season amid growing interest in his services.
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Liverpool were strongly linked with a move for Adeyemi at one point, but it now appears that Borussia Dortmund have won the race for the German's signature as they prepare to wave goodbye to Erling Braut Haaland.
Manchester City and Real Madrid are seen as the two frontrunners for Haaland's signature, and Dortmund director Michael Zorc has hinted that the Norwegian will end up in the Premier League.
Adeyemi is therefore set to follow in Haaland's footsteps to BVB after the 21-year-old also made the move to the Westfalenstadion from Salzburg, but according to Sport1 journalist Patrick Berger, United tried to hijack the move at the last minute.
Berger claims that Man United were prepared to offer the 20-year-old a £150k-per-week salary to make the move to Old Trafford, but the three-cap Germany international has always prioritised a move to Dortmund, who have already qualified for the 2022-23 Champions League.
Adeyemi will supposedly pen a five-year contract with the Bundesliga giants "in the coming days", forcing Man United to look elsewhere in their search for attacking reinforcements.
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Current interim boss Ralf Rangnick expects to see "two or three" new strikers come to Old Trafford this summer, with several of United's current attacking names on the verge of leaving.
Edinson Cavani has endured a dismal season with injuries and will leave when his deal expires, and the future of Marcus Rashford is still up in the air amid his paltry tally of four Premier League goals this season.
Anthony Martial fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford and has also not done enough to warrant a permanent move to Sevilla with just one goal in 11 outings for Julen Lopetegui's side, and his future remains unclear.
Darwin Nunez, Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martinez have all been mentioned as possible summer targets, and Tottenham Hotspur's Steven Bergwijn recently opened the door to a move to Man United ahead of compatriot Erik ten Hag's arrival.
Man United kept their fleeting hopes of Champions League football alive with a 3-0 win over Brentford on Monday, but they remain sixth in the table and are five points adrift of Arsenal having played two games more.
Ben Knapton
