According to ESPN, Manchester United interim manager Ronnick was surprised and angry that the club did not have any reports of inspection of Leipzig Red Bull goalscorer Christopher Nkunku.
Lonnick took charge of Manchester United last November, and the club didn't bring in any players for him in the winter transfer window in January, and the 63-year-old German certainly won't be satisfied. At the time, Lonnick had hoped that United would sign new backs and strikers, with Leipzig's Nkunku being his favourite goalscorer.
However, joining Manchester United, the club scouts were surprised when he told Ronnick that France international Nkunku was not on their list of potential targets. United have never followed the 24-year-old France international, so there are no scouting reports.
Nkunku has scored 28 goals in all competitions this season, including seven in the Champions League group stage, and even scored a hat-trick against Manchester City. In addition, he has 18 assists and scored in 46 club goals! In 2019, Nkunku moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Leipzig for £12 million, sparking interest from many European giants, but not Manchester United.
Lonnick has called Nkunku the best young player in the Bundesliga, with only a handful of players outperforming him in the Bundesliga this season. Nkunku used to play mainly in midfield, but Leipzig Red Bull boss Tedesko put it in the forward and forward positions, and Manchester United have star players such as Bruno Fernandez and Sancho in these positions, so perhaps the French genius was ignored for this reason.
With no dossier, United were unlikely to complete the transfer to Nkunku in a short period of time in January. Lonnick was annoyed and sorry about this and believed that the club had probably lost the perfect opportunity to get Nkunku, as Bayern Munich also became interested in him. Now, Manchester United have a bad record, one of the reasons is the lack of attackers who can score goals, and only C Ronaldo has scored in double-figures.
Nkunku made his France debut last month, his contract expires in 2024 and Red Bull Leipzig is willing to sell him for a transfer fee of £63m.
Another option for Leipzig is to renew Nkunku's contract at the end of the season and give him a salary increase, while the contract will include a termination clause similar to the current list price, which will take effect in the summer window of 2023, and Leipzig will not refuse to sell as long as there is a suitable offer.
United need to bring in a new centre-forward this summer to fill the gap left by Cavani. If not in Nkunku, Benfica's Uruguayan international Darwin Núñez is another candidate. But the Red Hawks manager priced him £113 million. Nelson Verisimo believes that the 22-year-old Nunez should be worth as much as João Felix.
Nunez's damages were £127 million, but the Benfica boss said: "What do you guys think? Darwin (Nunez) is a good player who has shown his ability. He's been a big help to the team, and of course the team is helping him. He is still young and has a lot of potential, and based on his growth this season and his performance in the Champions League, it is normal for the European giants to be interested in him. This season or after next season, he may leave the team, depending on the situation. Everyone has a different timing, it's time to make an offer, and as a Benfica fan, I hope his transfer fee is close to That of Felix. But it's not time to discuss the exact number."