Despite signing Benjamin Sesko in the summer transfer window, Manchester United are keen on landing another striker and are targeting Mateo Retegui, according to a report, but TEAMtalk does not think that a deal for the Al Qadsiah star would be feasible anytime soon.
Man Utd splashed the cash in the summer of 2025 and signed Sesko from RB Leipzig. The Red Devils rate the Slovenia international striker so highly that they decided to pay a total of £73.7million (€85m, $99.7m), including add-ons, for the 22-year-old, who scored 21 goals and gave six assists in 45 appearances for Leipzig last season.
Sesko was expected to hit the ground running at Man Utd, but just two goals in eight matches in all competitions for Ruben Amorim’s side indicate a lot of work needs to be done.
Some agents have even branded Man Utd’s signing of Sesko as the worst deal of the summer of 2025.
It has now appeared that Man Utd are looking for another striker, with Fichajes reporting that the Red Devils are ready to pay between €50 and €60million (up to £52m, $70m) for Retegui.
Retegui joined Al Qadsiah from Atalanta in the summer of 2025, with the Saudi Pro League making him the most expensive Italian player of all time by paying €68m (£59m), $79m) in transfer fees.
During his time at Atalanta, the 26-year-old striker scored 28 goals and gave nine assists in 49 appearances.
Retegui was the top scorer in Serie A in the 2024/25 campaign and won the Capocannoniere.
The striker is also a key figure in the Italy team despite playing far away in the Saudi Pro League.
Retegui scored once for Italy in their 3-1 win against Estonia in the 2026 World Cup qualifier last weekend before finding the back of the net twice against Israel in a 3-0 win on Tuesday evening.
The most expensive Italian striker of all time has already scored three goals in five appearances for Al Qadsiah so far this season.
Why Man Utd will fail to sign Al Qadsiah
First of all, one must note that Fichajes is not one of the most reliable sources, so the claim that Man Utd are interested in Retegui must be taken with a pinch of salt.
Until and unless other, more reliable media outlets report the story, one has to treat this with caution.
However, Man Utd were linked with Retegui in the summer of 2025 before he joined Al Qadsiah, with The Boy Hotspur claiming that the Red Devils had taken a shine to the Italy international striker, along with Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Juventus and Arsenal.
TuttoAtalanta noted back in April that Man Utd were scouting Retegui when he was at Atalanta.
However, the ship has now sailed for Man Utd, who are very unlikely to sign Retegui from Al Qadsiah.
While a fee of €60m (£52m, $70m) is tempting for any club, Al Qadsiah paid €68m (£59m), $79m) for the Italian striker, and the Saudi Pro League club will surely not sell him for anything less.Secondly, Retegui himself may not be keen on leaving Al Qadsiah for Man Utd, who have been in a rebuilding phase for over a decade and may not end up in the Premier League top four.
The striker joined the Saudi Arabian club just in the summer of 2025, and it is too early for him to even consider an exit
Leave a Reply