Manchester United could spring a surprise by moving for Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic, transfer insider Dean Jones says.

The lowdown

The Daily Mail reported on 31 July that United were considering a swoop for Kalajdzic as an alternative to Benjamin Sesko.

Sesko has just moved from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig for a fee of £55million.

And that could now see them towards Kalajdzic, who's significantly cheaper at just £17million.

The latest

Jones explains that Tottenham Hotspur considered a swoop for Kalajdzic in the January transfer window but decided he wasn't ready for the Premier League.

United, then, would be taking a risk by placing their faith in the Austrian just seven months down the line.

“Kalajdžić, this is probably a little bit of a gamble," he told GiveMeSport.

“I mean, Tottenham were looking at signing him at the start of the year.

“And that was really a thought process of signing a player who’s good, and has got a lot of potential and would eventually become part of their team, but wasn’t quite ready for it.

“So, I’ll be surprised if Man United considered that he was ready to become a serious, significant part of their squad.”

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The verdict

Why might be a deal for Kalajdzic be considered dangerous?

Perhaps it's because he only has one season of top-level goalscoring under his belt in the top five leagues.

Kalajdzic hit 16 in 33 for Stuttgart in the 2020/21 season but was only able to make 15 appearances last term after sustaining a shoulder injury.

In terms of profile, he's similar to Premier League duo Ivan Toney and Michail Antonio, but his low passing accuracy - just 68% (27th percentile) - could concern United (via FBRef). It might suggest that his link-up play leaves a lot to be desired.

Kalajdzic, who idolises ex-United midfielder Nemanja Matic, says he's been dubbed a 'lanky' striker (via bundesliga.com).

But even though he's already 6ft 6in, Dortmund boss Eden Terzic says he can seemingly reach 'four or five metres in the air'. That could make him an almighty aerial weapon if the delivery is right.