Man Utd legend urges club to hijack Arsenal deal for £75m star dubbed 'world's best'

Patrice Evra is adamant that Manchester United must hijack Arsenal's rumoured move for one of the best forwards in the world this summer.

The 2026/27 Premier League season is now just one week away, with reigning champions Arsenal welcoming the newly-promoted Coventry City to the Emirates in the opening fixture.

Ahead of their title-defending season, Arsenal have been relatively busy in the ongoing summer transfer window, securing a permanent deal for Piero Hincapie, following an impressive loan spell, and signing Ilan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes for a combined £109million.

Despite this, there remain calls for the Gunners to add more attacking talent to their ranks before the window closes, with a recent report revealing that the London club have held discussions with Turkish giant Galatasaray about striker Victor Osimhen.

Described by Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle as the 'best striker in the world', Osimhen would be a major signing for Arsenal, and could prove to be one of the best signings of the summer.

That is why Manchester United legend Evra believes his former club should hijack the deal if Michael Carrick is serious about his claim that the club could challenge for the title with more signings.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, via Stake, Evra said: "To win the title? No, we need more than that. I wish, and I still don't understand why we didn’t sign a striker like Osimhen.

"You know, he's just crazy, and I don't want him to end up in Madrid or Arsenal or whatsoever. So we need a big striker."

Arsenal's potential move for Osimhen would likely include one or both of Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri going the other way, significantly reducing the cost.

But United would likely have to pay cash if they hoped to sign the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at around €75m (£64m).

If Carrick were to make the move and sign Osimhen at this price, it would take United's summer spending up to £157m, having signed Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Tynan Thompson and Karl Darlow.

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Patrice Evra names problem position that Man United must address

However, Evra doesn't believe that United can afford to stop there, as he argued that there is at least one more position in desperate need of some reinforcement before the window closes.

"We still need a left back because Luke Shaw has a lot of injuries," Evra told SPORTbible

"To support him, because even though Dorgu can play left back, as a winger, I think he's more efficient."

Despite the fact that Shaw played all 38 of United's Premier League fixtures last season, it's a common belief in the fanbase that his injury record means another left-back should be signed this summer.

United were widely linked with Newcastle United's Lewis Hall as a potential new signing at left-back, but the deal is believed to be off as the Magpies have made it clear that the 21-year-old is not for sale.