Manchester United have reportedly dropped their interest in Bologna forward Marko Arnautovic.
The Red Devils were strongly linked with the Austria international over the weekend, with the club believed to have failed with an opening offer of €9m (£7.6m).
The 33-year-old had allegedly been identified by Man United head coach Erik ten Hag as an attacking target, with the Dutchman determined to boost his forward options for the 2022-23 campaign.
However, according to The Athletic, the 20-time English champions have now ended their pursuit of the experienced attacker and will instead focus on other targets.
The report claims that the backlash from the club's supporters played a leading role in the Red Devils deciding to drop their interest in the former Stoke City and West Ham United forward.
Meanwhile, it is believed that Bologna's asking price was found to be unrealistic by Ten Hag's side, who are still dealing with the uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's future.
The agent and brother of Arnautovic recently confirmed that an offer from a "well-known club" had been received, believed to be referencing Man United.
"It's true that there's a bid from a well-known club. I'm in contact with Bologna to see if that can be realised," Danijel Arnautovic told Kurier Sport.
However, Bologna director Marco Di Vaio insisted that the Italian outfit are not interested in letting the forward leave during this summer's transfer window.
"Man United on Arnautovic? We're proud of Man Utd interest for Marko but we are not planning to sell him. We want to keep him at Bologna as president said, he's a key part of our project – there's not even a price tag," Di Vaio told reporters.
Arnautovic played in the Premier League for Stoke between 2013 and 2017 before moving to West Ham, managing 22 goals in 65 appearances for the Hammers before making the switch to China.
The forward enjoyed an impressive 2021-22 campaign for Bologna, meanwhile, netting 14 times in 33 Serie A appearances, while he managed 15 in 35 outings in all competitions.
Anthony Martial's hamstring injury, coupled with Ronaldo's lack of fitness, led to Christian Eriksen playing as a false nine in Man United's season opener with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Ronaldo was eventually introduced in the second half of the contest, but the Portugal international could not prevent his side from suffering a 2-1 defeat in their first match of the campaign.
Ten Hag will be hoping to have Martial available for selection in Saturday's Premier League clash with Brentford, while Ronaldo will seemingly still be at the club despite his desire to leave. body check tags ::
