With a new manager set to be appointed soon, Manchester United are preparing for a busy few months in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have struggled for consistency this season despite the arrivals of Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho in the summer. Ralf Rangnick’s midseason appointment has somewhat steadied the ship at Old Trafford, but he will be pushing for plenty of business in the summer once he moves into his consultancy role.
It is no secret that a striker is top of United’s shopping list in the summer. With Edinson Cavani out of contract at the end of the season, Ronaldo heading into the final year of his contract, Mason Greenwood unavailable and Marcus Rashford considering his future, it is a must for United’s new manager.
The Athletic have revealed that the club want to sign four players at least in the summer: a striker, an attacking midfielder, a defensive-minded midfielder and also a right-winger. The news would certainly suggest that Sancho is viewed as a left-sided attacker, and could indicate that the club are preparing for life without Rashford now.
The report goes on to state that United’s top target to solve their goal-scoring woes is Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane in the summer. With Erling Haaland strongly linked with moving to rivals Manchester City, it would be unlikely that the England no.9 also makes the move to the Etihad Stadium as well.
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Kane is heading into the final two years of his contract with Spurs and thus it could be Daniel Levy’s final chance to receive a fee of £100million or more for the 28-year-old. The striker pushed for a move before the start of this season and if Tottenham fail to secure Champions League football for next season – which looks likely – then it wouldn’t be a great shock for Kane to do so again.
United’s midfield has been the bane of their problems for several seasons and both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Rangnick flagged the position as one that needs investment. The Red Devils were linked with RB Leipzig’s Amadou Haidara in January but reports have circulated that West Ham ’s Declan Rice remains of interest despite his significant price tag.
The Hammers’ vice-captain has been linked with Chelsea for several years but the Blues’ sanctions mean that he is unlikely to make the move to Stamford Bridge any time soon. Rice would be a major investment by United but the Glazers would certainly reap the benefits of the move in the long term given that Rice is only 23 years old.
The next few months are sure to be speculation-filled for United, though it is unlikely that the club will push on with any of their transfer targets until they are green-lighted by their new manager. Rangnick was not able to sign any players in January, reportedly against his wishes, because the higher powers at United wanted to boost the budget that they can provide to their long-term boss in the summer.
