Journalist Claims Andrea Belotti Is Being Lined Up to Replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Man Utd

Italian striker Andrea Belotti is apparently a target for Manchester United, with the club planning for life after Zlatan Ibrahimovic soon.

That is according to Duncan Castles, who has published a piece on Yahoo, claiming that the Red Devils are seeking options to replace the Swede and have made the Torino forward their chief target.

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Ibrahimovic spent seven months nursing a damaged ACL, and is out with a knee injury again, having returned to the fold towards the end of last year. The former Paris Saint-Germain striker's contract runs up until the end of the current season, and it has been rumoured that he could join an MLS side or one in the Chinese Super League before that.

Castles notes that United are keen to keep Ibrahimovic until the expiration of his contract, but also know that he would be more valuable to both leagues earlier in the year due to their campaigns commencing in March. They would also be powerless to act, should he accept an offer.

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The club don't foresee the 36-year-old extending his deal at Old Trafford either, and are actively seeking alternatives, according to Castles. Belotti, who has scored seven goals in 18 appearances for Torino this season, tops the list.

He writes: "Italy international Andrea Belotti is understood to remain at the top of a list drawn up by United’s scouting department despite the 24-year-old’s goal return at Torino dropping off this season."

United certainly aren't lacking firepower up front, though. The Manchester outfit have the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as potent attacking options.