Manchester United will step up their transfer plans during the World Cup break with further recruitment meetings as they look to settle on a shortlist of targets.
Erik ten Hag is already looking at ways in which the team can be strengthened next year, though club officials are not expecting any major movement to take place in January.
It means United’s focus is on next summer, when Ten Hag will be backed again by the board, though not by quite as much as he was during his first window at the club, when they invested a record £225.4million on five players across one window.
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Given their current lack of options, the main priority is for a new striker to be signed. The acceptance is that Cristiano Ronaldo will leave the club for good next year, and there is even an argument to suggest that two new strikers are needed given Anthony Martial’s injury struggles and the lack of goals they are getting from their wide players this season.
It’s easier said than done, though. United not only need to identify their top candidate for the role, but also persuade them to join, which makes qualifying for the Champions League essential this season.
Another difficult task will be ensuring that a new striker does not cost too much money, given that other areas of the pitch will need to be addressed by the end of the season, particularly at right-back.
Then there are the unexpected opportunities and a chance to sign a top target now or risk missing out on them forever.
It is no secret that United are still huge admirers of Jude Bellingham, and if he stars at the World Cup this winter, then that interest is only likely to grow further.
Signing a new midfielder is not a top priority for next summer, but it is of some interest given the club's over-reliance on Christian Eriksen and the lack of meaningful game changers on the bench.
If Ten Hag were able to pick any midfielder to sign next summer, then Bellingham would likely be his pick, not only for his immense quality and maturity but also for the fact he would offer so much longevity in the role.
There is a growing consensus that the 19-year-old will leave Dortmund at the end of the season, and his next move could be the one that defines his playing career.
He’ll have plenty of choices available to him, with Liverpool and Manchester City both understood to be in the running should he become available. If he were to move to either of them, then that would most likely rule out any future move to Old Trafford as a result.
It means next summer might represent the only chance to sign the England star, throwing another spanner into the works of their long-term transfer planning.
Reports this week have suggested Dortmund could demand as much as €150million for the youngster, and they are under no immediate pressure to cash in on him either. Even if that fee were to be haggled down considerably, it is still likely to cost at least £100m to sign him, which would signal a club-record deal for United.
Having already spent more than they intended this past summer and with the focus on adding a top-class striker in the next one, it might just happen that Bellingham is no longer a plausible target.
With interest from Liverpool and City in a deal, it could well be that United have one last chance to sign him or risk losing him forever.
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