The rumour mills are spinning, and the list of supposed targets is growing by the day. The start of the summer transfer window brings with it plenty of speculation about who might be on the move this summer, even more so at a club the size of Manchester United.
United will dominate the headlines throughout the window and will no doubt be linked with hundreds of players by the time it finally closes at the start of September.
It will be a fluid situation, though. United have planned for a number of eventualities and those could change in a moment depending on the ongoing takeover uncertainty or the possibility of players being sold.
That is particularly important with regard to the potential addition of a centre-back.
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Erik ten Hag is understood to be open to adding another top central defender to his side this summer in order to provide further competition for places, but it is not as simple as going out and buying one for a hefty fee.
United's priorities lie elsewhere, so any move for a centre-back would most likely happen after the club has strengthened in attack and midfield first. There is also an argument that signing another goalkeeper would take priority, given concerns about David de Gea's long-term suitability to the side and Dean Henderson's expected sale.
It means signing a central defender could be ranked fourth at the very best on United's to-do list this summer, and even then, a move could only be sanctioned if they manage to sell a current senior option.
Ten Hag would ideally like to have four reliable centre-backs to call upon next season with youth team players given the chance to bolster his options in pre-season and cup competitions.
He could argue he has that already. Lisandro Martinez has already established himself as one of the leading defenders in the Premier League, just as is Raphael Varane, though there are still concerns about his injury record.
Victor Lindelof enjoyed an impressive end to the campaign and finished with the best pass completion rate out of anyone in the English top flight, while Harry Maguire is the club captain and still highly regarded.
It means that a move for another centre-back can only be sanctioned if one of those leave, which is easier said than done. After a good few months, it would probably be easier to find a buyer for Lindelof, though he has proven he still has immense worth to the team.
Maguire would be the logical player to move on, but it is understood he is still unsure about a summer exit, and there could be struggles finding a team willing to pay his wages.
The other factor in all of this is even finding a defender who would be willing to join when there is so much competition, given they wouldn't be guaranteed to start games.
Even if they do sell one of Maguire or Lindelof this summer, there would still be two players for each position in defence, given Luke Shaw filled in so impressively at centre-back during the run-in.
Ten Hag might struggle to convince Kim Min-jae to give up being a star player at Napoli for fewer assurances at United, while even Monaco defender Axel Disasi might have some doubts about his possible role at Old Trafford.
It all makes the addition of a new centre-back a little unclear, with any transfer more likely to be categorised as a want rather than a need this summer.
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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