Manchester United will continue to pursue deals for Frenkie de Jong, Antony and Cody Gakpo after the beleaguered club's owners gave the green light for Erik ten Hag to spend his way out of the crisis that has gripped Old Trafford.
United, who will take their summer spending through the £121million barrier with the £60million capture of Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, will continue to land the trio of big-money signings in a bid to lift the club out of trouble. It would take the final bill for the summer towards £300million.
Ten Hag is already under severe pressure after becoming the first United manager in over a century to lose his first two games. And the Glazer family, who own the club, will once again be faced with a barrage of protests about their tenure when the Red Devils face bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday night.
The Americans are aware that the capture of five-time Champions League winner Casemiro to add to new signings Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia will not pacify the club’s increasingly militant supporters. And after Ten Hag warned them that the size of the task ahead of him was much bigger than he thought when he agreed to walk out on Ajax, the Glazers agreed to loosen the purse strings.
A source close to Ten Hag told Sunday Mirror Sport : "United are going into the final days of the transfer window with all guns blazing." Ten Hag was expected to finally draw a line through his bid to land No. 1 target De Jong after the capture of 30-year-old Casemiro.
The Dutch midfielder’s advisers are banking on Barcelona blinking first in their efforts to sell him and save £17million in deferred wages, with the cash-strapped Catalans in desperate need of the sale. United have agreed a deal worth £71.5million - including a package of add-ons - with the La Liga club.
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They have also had a £72.3million offer for Brazilian forward Antony rejected by Ajax. The 23-year-old refused to train on Friday when news of the bid broke. And although the Amsterdam club don’t want to sell after losing Ten Hag and Martinez to the lure of Old Trafford, the expectation in Amsterdam is that they will allow Antony to depart if United put more money on the table.
United also want PSV Eindhoven forward Gakpo to add more firepower to the team. PSV can book a place in the Champions League group stages when they face Rangers on Wednesday night after forcing a 2-2 draw in Glasgow.
Gakpo, the reigning Dutch footballer of the year, is rated at £35million by his club and wants the chance to play in the Premier League. United will step up their bid to sign him after PSV’s European fate has been decided.
Ten Hag is worried that the ongoing rift with Cristiano Ronaldo will undermine his attempts to turn the club’s fortunes around. United have insisted that the 37-year-old is not for sale - and that they have not had any offers for his services. But buying two new forward talents would strengthen Ten Hag’s hand in his dealings with Ronaldo as the World Cup looms.
