Newcastle United and Man Utd 'lead race' to sign 18-goal striker who could be available for bargain fee

An injury-hit and jaded Newcastle United team were left shell shocked at Goodison Park as they fell to a disappointing 3-0 loss in their most recent Premier League outing.

Injuries and fatigue appeared to take their toll on the Magpies during their trip to Merseyside as they were unable to match the intensity and exuberance of Sean Dyche’s men.

The result, after a string of impressive performances, has amplified talk of further transfer activity in the January window and over the last few games Newcastle have lacked any real options to change the game from the substitutes bench and have largely played the exact same team.

Despite the strong form of both Alexander Isak and the injured Callum Wilson, Football Insider claims that one of the priority positions for the Magpies is a central forward as Eddie Howe aims to bolster his attacking options. The North East Giants are believed to be considering multiple options including Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo who was recently relegated with Santos and Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen.

But the name at their top of the list, according to Football Insider is VFB Stuttgart striker Serou Guirassy, although the outlet adds that the Toon Army are likely to face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Fulham who are also in need of a goal-scorer.

A third striker would allow Newcastle a smoother transitional process when navigating multiple competitions including the league, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup and would allow Howe to keep the attack fresh at all times.

Guirassy's recent form suggests he is more than capable of competing at the highest level. Last season, he was his team’s top scorer with 12 league goals in 24 appearances, including one in Stuttgart’s relegation play-off which secured the club’s status in the German top-flight.

The Guinean striker’s form was solid last season, but he has exploded into life with even more goals this term - in the first seven games he scored 13 goals, to surpass the all-time record for goals in that period which was previously held by Robert Lewandowski.

Overall, Guirassy boasts an incredible record of 18 goals in 13 matches this term, despite playing for a team that was tipped to struggle at the start of the year. The 27-year-old is regarded as a strong goal-scorer who is blessed with excellent pace and the ability to hold the ball up for teammates.

The Evening Standard adds that the striker has a release clause in the region of £15m - making him a bargain in today’s game if he was to continue scoring at such a rate in England. The Red Devils are hoping to land the attacker to help the team during a period of poor goal-scoring form for Marcus Rashford and summer signing Rasmus Hojlund who is still waiting for his first Premier League goal.

Football Insider explains that Newcastle and Man United are the frontrunners to sign Guirassy in January, while Fulham are also monitoring the situation closely as they bid to find a replacement for ex-Toon striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.