Francesco Pio Esposito has had an impressive rise in the Italian game and is now attracting interest from Manchester United.
The young striker came through the ranks at Inter Milan, having spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Serie B side Spezia. He thrived in that spell, allowing him the chance to feature for the Nerazzurri last season.
He scored seven times in Serie A, adding four assists. In the Champions League, he contributed to four goals, despite Inter’s disappointing performance in the competition. This has made him a star for the national team, where he has seven goals in 13 outings.
Sport Witness have previously tracked how Esposito’s growth attracted interest from Arsenal. That never materialised into a formal offer, as the player ended up signing a new deal that now runs out in 2032.
Manchester United interest in the 21-year-old is now reported.
Scouts attentive to Italian
Calciomercato IT report that scouts from the Red Devils were ‘present in the stands’ during Inter’s 2-0 win over Como at the weekend. They kept a watchful eye on Esposito, who scored and put in quite an impressive performance.
The Italian also assisted Marcus Thuram’s goal after scoring. The two combined very well, as Esposito held the ball up excellently to allow the Frenchman to play off him.
The report further notes that Esposito is now on Manchester United’s shortlist. They are believed to be on the hunt for a striker and can move for one as early as January.
Inter are expected to stand firm in their stance, though. They have no intention of parting ways and are likely to demand around €100m to let Esposito depart.
Esposito’s current deal runs out in 2032 but Manchester United’s approach is seen as a ‘danger’ to the Nerazzurri.
Our take: Huge spending needed
In the last few seasons, Inter have always operated with very specific players as the cornerstones of their project. This includes Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni. Increasingly, Esposito seems to be becoming that player, as he has signed a long-term deal and his value is simply escalating with every passing month.
That is why signing him will be a very complex task for Manchester United. While they can afford the player, Esposito might not even be keen on leaving Inter anytime soon.
Besides, heading to Old Trafford currently presents a bit of a downgrade for the striker, who has more opportunity to win silverware at Inter.
