Manchester United hero David de Gea is full of praise for one of his Fiorentina teammates, who has emerged as a top transfer target for the Red Devils.
After securing the signings of forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, Ruben Amorim’s next priority is to buy at least one new striker.
Marcus Rashford is joining Barcelona, Rasmus Hojlund is woefully out of from and Chido Obi Martin is not ready to play such an active first-team role.
United have an interest in a number of No.9s including Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani.
Another they have been linked with is Moise Kean who previously spent three years at Everton following a £24million move.
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The transfer proved to be a disaster however, as the Italian scored just four goals in 39 appearances before being sold back to Juventus, who in turn sold him to Fiorentina last summer.
This move proved to be a great one however, as Kean scored a career high 25 goals in 44 games and was named in the Serie A Team of the Season.
Off the back of this success, there has been much interest in the 25-year-old, who has a £44.5m release contract in his contract but it is believed that the deadline to activate it has passed.
Among Kean’s admirers is De Gea, who also moved to Florence last summer following a year out of the game after he was controversially released by then-United boss Erik ten Hag.
The goalkeeper says he has a ‘very good’ relationship with the striker but has urged him not to rest on his laurels if he wants to become one if the best goal-scorers around.
Moises Kean stats 2024/25
Appearances: 44
Goals: 25
Minutes per goal: 140
Assists: 3
Yellow cards: 10
‘When I arrived, my Italian was terrible and we spoke in English. Now I’ve improved and I communicate with him [Kean] more easily,’ De Gea told Italian outlet Cronache.
‘He had an excellent season, but now for me he needs to have another good year, and then another, and so on. One good year isn’t enough, he needs to continue like this and build on what he’s done.
‘He’s put in some very good numbers, but he needs to keep it up and prove he can do it over time.’
What has Moises Kean said about joining Man Utd
Addressing his future, Kean suggested in July that his priority is to stay in Florence for the upcoming season:
‘I’m very motivated to move forward. Fiorentina has given me so much and has always supported me.
‘Now it’s important to return with renewed motivation and give my best for Fiorentina.’
De Gea, spent 12 years at Old Trafford and has now revealed that during his sabbatical he had the chance to sign for a Premier League club but declined out of loyalty to the Red Devils.
‘The fans still write to me. I spent so many years there, it’s my home. I would have stayed there forever,’ he added.
‘I turned down offers from England because after spending so many years at a club like United, you feel like you don’t want to play for another club in England.
‘I only wanted Manchester United, and while it’s true that I received offers from England, I knew it would be impossible for me to play anywhere else. I’ve spent my whole life there, it’s the club that shaped me and allowed me to have a wonderful career.
‘Football is like that, unexpected things happen. Like the opportunity to come here to Florence.’
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