Manchester United Target Croatia Star Martin Baturina After World Cup Goal

Manchester United’s midfield rebuild has taken a fresh twist, with the club now circling Croatia and Como star Martin Baturina after his thunderous strike against England thrust him onto the global stage.

Michael Carrick’s first summer as permanent boss is already reshaping the heart of United’s side. A deal for Atalanta’s Ederson is close to being rubber-stamped, Casemiro has gone, and Manuel Ugarte is on course to reunite with Ruben Amorim at AC Milan. One midfield signing was never going to be enough. United want more legs, more creativity, more goals.

Baturina has suddenly moved towards the top of that list.

From Como to the world stage

The 23-year-old lit up Croatia’s World Cup opener on Wednesday night, arrowing a vicious, curling effort beyond Jordan Pickford to drag his country level against England. It was the sort of goal that doesn’t just change a game; it changes a player’s market.

England eventually overpowered Croatia in the second half, but the damage to defenders’ scouting reports was already done. Baturina’s name is now inked, not pencilled, on the agendas of Europe’s elite.

He only joined Como last summer, arriving from Dinamo Zagreb for £22million. Under Cesc Fabregas, he has blossomed into a modern attacking midfielder who can also work the flanks, drifting into pockets of space and driving at back lines. Eight goals and four assists later, Como have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, with Baturina right at the heart of it.

That kind of rise doesn’t go unnoticed.

Como dig in as bids arrive

It hasn’t taken long for offers to land. The Italian club have already rejected a £43m bid for Baturina, a clear statement that they will not be bullied out of their prized asset. Bayern Munich have also made enquiries, testing the water around a player whose value climbs with every performance.

For now, Fabregas and Como are holding their ground. They see Baturina as a cornerstone for their debut Champions League campaign, a versatile attacker who can play centrally or out wide and give them a fighting chance against Europe’s heavyweights.

United, though, are not alone in trying to prise him away. Aston Villa are among the clubs tracking him, according to reports in Italy, adding another Premier League suitor to an already crowded chase.

United’s reshaped engine room

The Old Trafford hierarchy have been forced to pivot in the market. They are unwilling to get into a bidding war with Manchester City for Elliot Anderson. Sandro Tonali now looks set for City, Arsenal or even Tottenham. Mateus Fernandes of West Ham and Portugal remains firmly on United’s radar, but Spurs are hovering over that deal as well.

So United have turned towards a different profile: a midfielder who can also solve a problem out wide.

Baturina fits that brief. He split his season between attacking midfield and the left wing, offering the sort of tactical flexibility Carrick craves. United’s recruitment team have been actively searching for a left-sided attacker as they prepare for what looks like the endgame of Marcus Rashford’s time at the club.

Rashford’s asking price has reportedly been cut to accelerate a sale, a stark move given his status as an academy product and one-time talisman. Rio Ferdinand has publicly urged United to reconsider, calling for a rethink over the decision to cash in. Inside the club, though, the direction of travel appears clear: new faces, new profiles, a different type of attack.

Baturina, with his ability to glide between lines and explode from distance, would give Carrick a player who can link midfield to attack and still threaten from the left. For a United side trying to modernise its structure and sharpen its cutting edge, that combination is gold.

The question now is simple: how hard are United prepared to push to break Como’s resistance—and will they move quickly enough before someone else does?