Manchester United had an ‘incredible deal’ proposed to them during the summer transfer window that would have seen Cristiano Ronaldo move to Napoli with Victor Osimhen coming the other way, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Erik ten Hag bolstered his side significantly after taking the manager’s job at Old Trafford, spending over £200 million on new recruits, but missed out on one top target.

What happened with Osimhen and Ronaldo?

Ronaldo informed the Red Devils of his desire to leave the club at the start of the summer, expressing a wish to continue playing in the Champions League.

As a result, United began their hunt for a new frontman with reports in Italy suggesting that Osimhen was on their radar.

They stated that the Red Devils wanted to negotiate a player-plus-cash deal which would have seen Ronaldo head to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Manchester Evening News also reported that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had held discussions with Napoli as he looked to find a move for his client.

But the Serie A giants were demanding more than £100 million for Osimhen and the Portuguese icon’s wages covered for his time in Italy.

What has Sheth said on the situation?

Sheth says that any move for Osimhen was always going to depend on what happened to Ronaldo.

The Sky Sports reporter added that he too had heard rumblings of Mendes’ audacious plot to strike a deal between Napoli and United.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The striking positions were an area that Manchester United were looking at, but I think a lot was dependent on what was happening with Cristiano Ronaldo, as well.

“There was this incredible deal that Manchester United were never going to go for that was being mooted, supposedly by Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent who was speaking to Napoli and said, ‘look, you're a Champions League club. Ronaldo wants to play in the Champions League. How about we bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Napoli and you can sell Victor Osimhen to Manchester United?'

“Napoli said ‘yeah, this sounds great. But as long as Man United pay £100 million for Victor Osimhen and pay all Ronaldo’s wages then we can do it’. What kind of deal is that, Manchester United must have been thinking. That was never a starter there.”

Do United need Osimhen?

One name who arrived at Old Trafford in the summer was Ajax forward Antony.

The Brazilian made a name for himself under Ten Hag, scoring 22 goals in 79 appearances under his guidance in the Netherlands.

He also found the net on his United debut, slotting coolly past Aaron Ramsdale to open the scoring in a 3-1 victory against Arsenal.

But Antony’s skills are more honed on the wing and an out-and-out number nine is still lacking in the North West, so Osimhen’s services certainly would not go amiss.