After Manchester United failed to take up the permanent option in Falcao's loan move, there has been intense speculation about who may be brought in to replace the Colombian. Here's a look at five forwards that could potentially be heading to Old Trafford this summer.
Karim Benzema
Without doubt the most exciting - and most unrealistic - player linked with United recently has been Real Madrid's talisman Karim Benzema. The French star is one of the very best strikers in the world at the moment, having scored 133 goals in his six seasons at the Bernabeu. What's more impressive is that he has scored 20 or more goals in each of the last five seasons, and evidence of his all-round contribution can be found in the fact he has also 6 or more assists in every season since 2010.
Very impressive for a player who is not, as most other premier strikers are, the main goal scoring threat in the team, being overshadowed by the brilliance of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Benzema would be extremely difficult to lure away from Madrid, United may have some leverage with the potential move of David De Gea, and United could use this to include Benzema in a potential swap deal. Whatever the means of doing so, if Benzema could be brought to Old Trafford, it would undoubtedly be a brilliant signing.
Alexandre Lacazette
Lyon are famed for bringing through excellent young talent, and their current team full of such stars is spearheaded by their exciting forward Alexandre Lacazette. After a real breakthrough season in 2013/14, the French international continued his rapid progression last season, scoring 31 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, and his total of 27 goals in 31 appearances in Ligue 1 earned him the title of top league scorer. Consider the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Edinson Cavani also play in Ligue 1 - both of whom have the benefit of having far superior players providing them with service - and the scale of Lacazette's achievements this season only becomes greater.
There are just two main drawbacks to the potential transfer of the Lyon man; his price is likely to be astronomical, with the Lyon hierarchy very reluctant to see their star asset leave; the other is the league he plays in. The French league is not exactly the most competitive league around, and this casts doubts over whether Lacazette would thrive in the same way in the Premier League. Having said that, we have seen numerous players over the years do exactly that, so there is good reason to be optimistic about Lacazette.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane. A man who divides opinion like no other at the moment; is he a one season wonder, is he simply a 'tap-in merchant', or is he a truly sensational young English talent? In truth, no one can know for sure, although the charge of 'tap-in merchant' does seem particularly harsh. And no one, no matter which side of this particular fence they fall on, can argue against his goal scoring record this season; 31 goals in all competitions and 21 in the Premier League is an outstanding return by any account, and it made Kane the top English goal scorer and the second highest in the league overall, only behind Sergio Aguero.
Kane certainly fits the United ethos, too, of having a "backbone of British players" that "has been the key to success" of the club, according to Phil Neville. But again the price may prove a stumbling block, with many media outlets quoting a price in excess of ££40 million. Becoming a common theme this, isn't it?
Christian Benteke
Another young premier league talent, Christian Benteke has been heavily linked with a number of top clubs recently. The powerful Belgian is a very prolific goal scorer and thrived under Tim Sherwood in the second half of last season, partly due to overcoming long term injuries. Certainly fits in with United's recent injury record, then! Nonetheless, the former Genk man scored 13 goals in an injury hit season, and has consistently proved his goal scoring prowess over the course of his three year stint at Aston Villa.
The strength and pace of the Villa man would offer a new dimension to United's play which may give them the edge they need to score far more goals than last term. Benteke, however, has a £32.5 million buyout clause in his contract, and that is a very steep price for an admittedly injury prone player. Definitely a common theme.
Carlos Bacca
Carlos Bacca has gone somewhat under the radar until very recently. After his move to Sevilla in 2013, he had an average season in his first year in Spain, scoring 14 goals. But the Colombian shot to attention this season after scoring 20 goals in La Liga and particularly shone in the Europa League, scoring 2 goals in the final to help Sevilla lift the trophy for the second time in his two seasons with the club.
The high quality performances that the former Club Brugge forward has produced have set a number of top teams around Europe on alert, and the prospect of a chance of more domestic silverware at another club in Europe may be too tough to turn down, and with the financial power that Manchester United have, Bacca could well be tempted to join Old Trafford. Now, you're expecting something along the lines of "but his price is too much" here, aren't you? Well, Bacca is different, with his reported price around £21 million.