Manchester United 's summer recruitment drive is yet to get off the ground which has halted Erik ten Hag's hopes of a swift rebuild.
The Dutch boss was appointed in the summer but has been unable to add any new faces to his squad as he returned for day one of pre-season. Last term the squad at Old Trafford meandered to a sixth place finish in what was a poor campaign.
Major changes are needed, and whilst several players have left, none have come in which has only weakened the playing group. Ten Hag has made his targets clear and knows which areas in the squad need addressing ahead of their season opener against Brighton and Hove Albion.
We know that the Dutchman has around £120m to play with, but that may not secure all of his targets. As a result he may have to decide where his priorities lie, or, look to offload some of the players deemed surplus to requirements in order to raise more funds.
Option 1 - De Jong and Antony
The two big hitters would certainly be a statement at Old Trafford, but whether they'd be enough to ignite the change that is necessary remains questionable. De Jong is seemingly Ten Hag's No 1 target as he looks to reunite with a player he worked with at Ajax.
Central midfield also remains an issue in the red half of Manchester with the likes of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic both leaving in recent weeks. De Jong is likely to cost around £55m up front whilst Antony will be closer to £70m - taking the majority of the club's budget.
Ajax are under no financial pressure to sell Antony and are likely to demand top dollar for a player who is keen on following Ten Hag to the Premier League. United are in need of more goals in the final third, such was their reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo last term.
Option 2 - De Jong, Martinez and Malcaia
That said, Ten Hag is not short of attackers, they just aren't firing. If he can get Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford back to their best then he may be willing to end his pursuit of Antony and target defensive reinforcements.
De Jong appears to be a non-negotiable, but additions to the flanks as well as in the centre of defence could prove shrewd. Last term United shipped 57 goals despite signing Raphael Varane which may have led to their interest in Lisandro Martinez - another of Ten Hag's former players.
Feyenoord star Tyrell Malacia is on Lyon's radar, but the club are stalling which could allow United to steal a march with the club wanting £13m. Martinez is valued at around £35m meaning they could capture both defensive players as well as De Jong.
Option 3 - De Jong, Antony Martinez, Malcaia plus sales
Why not bag them all? Well it would take the club to part with around £170m - £50m over their budget. As a result Ten Hag would need to offload some of his current players, although he has plenty he may want to rid of.
Anthony Martial went out on loan last term and would be moved on if the appropriate offer was tabled. Defensive pair Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are both way down the pecking order and would welcome moves away. Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seen his future cast into doubt.
Adding the quartet would no doubt ramp up expectations at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed to sign Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane last summer - but took the team backwards and failed to see out the year as he was sacked before the New Year.
Ten Hag is in the process of imparting his ideas in Manchester, which could take some time. That said, if he can bring Martinez and Antony with him to Old Trafford, two men who know what the coach expects, then that could indeed be advantageous.
