Manchester United have scouted a striker Antonio Conte once tried to sign during his time as Napoli boss in a bid to fix a gaping hole in their attack.

United have made their worst start ever to a Premier League campaign, sitting inside the relegation zone with eight points from 10 matches after collecting a last-gasp draw against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Michael Carrick is widely expected to be handed his P45, six months into his two-year deal at Old Trafford, once his meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox concludes. The pending termination of his contract is the consequence of performances and results being nowhere near good enough, but an incredibly poor summer of business arguably set him up to fail.

Man United have scouted Inter Milan forward Francesco Pio Esposito

INEOS spent around £155million combined on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to bolster their midfield, when other positions - notably left-back and striker - also needed improving.

Carrick has since felt the impact of being left short in multiple areas, with Benjamin Sesko suffering a shin injury that will keep him out of action until January.

Instead of trusting Joshua Zirkzee to lead the line in the Slovenian's absence, Bryan Mbeumo has largely been deployed as a centre-forward, but that could change in the upcoming transfer window.

According to Calciomercato, United sent scouts to watch Inter Milan striker Francesco Pio Esposito score the opener in Inter's 2-0 win over Como on Sunday.

The Red Devils are in the market for a new forward, and Esposito - who has now scored three goals in eight league starts this term - will have impressed club scouts with his well-taken finish at the San Siro.

At the age of just 21, the Italian marksman is developing into one of Europe's most promising strikers and Inter's valuation reflects his talent and potential.

The report claims that only an 'astronomical' €100m (£83m) offer would tempt the Italian giants, as they currently have no intention of selling a player who is tied down to a contract until 2032.

Antonio Conte tried to sign Francesco Pio Esposito for Napoli

Standing at 6ft3 and possessing incredible strength, movement, and elite-level finishing, Esposito would undoubtedly improve United's attack.

A valuation of around £83million makes any move difficult, though, and it's unlikely United will open the chequebook and shell out on the Italian prodigy.

Perhaps if Antonio Conte takes over at Man United; however, Esposito will be one of the players he pushes hard to sign. Conte, alongside Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, is one of the leading contenders to replace Carrick, and he once tried to sign the Inter forward at Napoli.

Back in the summer of 2025, reports in Italy suggested that Napoli, led by the demands of Conte, were preparing an offer in the region of £25m for Esposito.

He has since watched his value skyrocket, while Conte - who exited Naples in May after finishing behind Inter in Serie A - is looking for his next opportunity in management.