Is Alexander Sorloth signing for Manchester United? Atletico Madrid could reject move for £30m striker – Football Whispers Index score

certified author
update icon

Updated

Is Alexander Sorloth signing for Manchester United? Atletico Madrid could reject move for £30m striker – Football Whispers Index score
Will Alexander Sorloth sign for Manchester United from Atletico Madrid? Photo by Iconsport/ Vegard Grott / Bildbyran/ PA Images

Manchester United are weighing up a late move for Alexander Sorloth as Michael Carrick searches for cover behind Benjamin Sesko.

The Atletico Madrid striker has been offered to Old Trafford, with Joshua Zirkzee closing in on a move to Juventus.

Atletico value Sorloth at around £30m, but there are signs the Norwegian may end up staying in Madrid regardless of how their own business shakes out.

The Football Whispers Index scores every transfer rumour across five weighted factors. Read how it works here.

Alexander Sorloth to Manchester United rated ‘Unlikely'

Sorloth to Man Utd TPI preview
Preview shell only, not part of the paste-ready CSS below.
Football Whispers Transfer Index

Alexander Sorloth to Manchester United

Unlikely
A score of 48 puts this move in Unlikely territory, with Atletico Madrid reported as ready to keep Alexander Sorloth even as they push to sign Jonathan David from Juventus.
Updated
Financial viability20 / 25
Buying club need15 / 20
Player motivation8 / 15
Selling club incentive9 / 20
Market momentum6 / 20
Financial viability20 / 25
  • The reported £30m asking price is a small fraction of Manchester United's 2024/25 revenue of €793m.
  • Sorloth's Atletico Madrid contract runs to 30 June 2028, leaving two summers for a fee to be agreed before he can leave for nothing.
  • No proposed salary for Sorloth at Manchester United has been reported, so how he would sit alongside Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford's £300,000 a week is unclear.
  • Transfermarkt values Sorloth at €18m, well below the £30m Atletico are said to want, a gap any bid would have to bridge.
Buying club need15 / 20
  • Joshua Zirkzee looks set to leave Old Trafford on loan for Juventus, leaving Michael Carrick with only Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha as senior centre-forward options.
  • Sesko has featured for just 33 minutes so far this season after United's opening fixtures.
  • Sorloth scored 13 goals in 35 LaLiga appearances for Atletico Madrid last season, output in a similar range to Sesko's underlying numbers.
  • At 30, Sorloth would arrive as experienced short-term cover rather than fit the younger recruitment profile United have built around this summer.
Player motivation8 / 15
  • Sorloth is described as open to the right opportunity but is not said to be pushing to leave Atletico Madrid.
  • A move to Old Trafford would likely mean a rotational role behind Sesko, a step down from the 1,981 minutes he played in LaLiga last season.
  • Both Atletico Madrid and Manchester United are competing in this season's Champions League, so the move would not represent a drop in competition level.
  • No salary details for a prospective Old Trafford contract have been reported.
Selling club incentive9 / 20
  • Atletico Madrid have submitted an official loan bid for Jonathan David from Juventus.
  • Sport reported on 31 August that Sorloth now appears set to stay at Atletico Madrid regardless of how the David deal plays out.
  • Sorloth is carrying a muscle injury sustained on 12 August, with an expected return in early September, right as the transfer window shuts.
  • He scored 13 goals at a 6.79 average FotMob rating for Atletico last season, hardly the profile of a player the club need to move on.
Market momentum6 / 20
  • Caught Offside first reported the interest on 29 August, describing Sorloth as offered to Manchester United rather than the subject of an active bid.
  • Fabrizio Romano has said United are exploring several possibilities to replace Zirkzee, listing Sorloth among the names without confirming concrete progress.
  • Newcastle United and Juventus have also been credited with interest in Sorloth, though neither has been reported making an approach.
  • Manchester United are said to be unlikely to meet the £30m asking price and could explore a loan instead.
The verdict48 / 100
A score of 48 puts this deal in Unlikely territory, largely because the freshest reporting suggests Sorloth is now set to stay at Atletico Madrid this summer.
It happens if Zirkzee's exit to Juventus is confirmed and Manchester United decide they need experienced cover for Benjamin Sesko before Tuesday's deadline.
It dies if Atletico Madrid keep both Sorloth and Julian Alvarez, or if Manchester United stick to their reluctance to pay the reported £30m asking price.

certified author

Byron is a sports journalist based in South Africa. He has a Media degree from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal and has been writing football content since 2019. Byron is also a sports presenter with experience in radio particularly.

Related articles