Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani has affirmed that he is in no rush to leave the Bundesliga giants amid reports of interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old made a name for himself with Nantes during a seven-year spell at the Stade de la Beaujoire, winning the 2021-22 Coupe de France before joining Frankfurt on a free transfer last summer.
Kolo Muani has continued to go from strength to strength under the wing of Oliver Glasner, recording an impressive 23 goals and 17 assists from 45 matches in all tournaments during the 2022-23 season.
The France international's 15 goals in the Bundesliga was only bettered by Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug's 16, while no player provided more assists than his 14 in the German top flight.
Despite Kolo Muani's remarkable exploits, Frankfurt missed out on a spot in the top six of the Bundesliga table, although they could still qualify for the Europa League by virtue of winning the DFB-Pokal final against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
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Kolo Muani is under contract at Frankfurt until the summer of 2027, but the Frenchman's strong goalscoring form in Germany has unsurprisingly attracted the interest of several clubs across Europe.
Man United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all been tipped to battle for Kolo Muani's signature, but Frankfurt would be expected to demand at least £100m to sanction a sale.
The striker himself has now played down talk of an imminent move away from Deutsche Bank Park, claiming that there is a "chance" that he could stay put and challenge for the Bundesliga Golden Boot next term.
"I've still a long term contract here at Eintracht, there's no rush. That's why there's still a chance for me to stay and become Bundesliga's golden boot here next season," Fabrizio Romano quotes Kolo Muani as saying.
With the 24-year-old seemingly staying put at Frankfurt for the time being, Man United will be forced to seek out alternative targets as they try to find a permanent replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Anthony Martial and Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst have both struggled to perform over the past few months, and the latter is due to return to Turf Moor after Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Harry Kane is still thought to be the Red Devils' number one target, but Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is thought to be reluctant to sell his star striker to a direct Premier League rival.
Benfica's Goncalo Ramos has emerged as an alternative option, and Bruno Fernandes has urged the Red Devils to make a move for his Portugal teammate in the upcoming window.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid were initially expected to tie Karim Benzema down to a new one-year contract, but the Ballon d'Or winner is now believed to be closing in on a move to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad.
Los Blancos would have postponed their search for a new striker until 2024 had Benzema stayed, but Carlo Ancelotti will likely seek out a new number nine if the Frenchman does depart alongside the out-of-favour Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Eden Hazard.
Ben Knapton
