Six weeks ago Manchester United might have looked at Kalvin Phillips and Darwin Nunez and thought they had a good chance of strengthening their midfield and attack this summer.
United's interest in Phillips was revealed by the Manchester Evening News in April, while Nunez has been towards the top of a list of potential attacking signings for a while, as a player who has attracted admiring glances from across Europe. But then Fernandinho announced his intention to leave Manchester City and the Blues lined up Phillips as his replacement, leaving United fighting a losing battle on a player who was unsure of the merits of swapping Leeds for their bitter rivals.
United were never likely to have a clear run at Nunez, but Sadio Mane's intended departure from Liverpool has made the Anfield club clear favourites to sign the 22-year-old. Not only are they a more attractive proposition than United at the moment, but they have a more efficient transfer structure as well.
READ MORE: Where United stand on De Jong and Nunez as transfer window opens
So for John Murtough and Erik ten Hag it's looking like it's on to new targets; this is a problem United could be faced with through the summer. For all the resources and intelligence poured into recruitment departs now, the Premier League's elite often end up circling the same players.
That could create a market that plays into the hands of selling clubs, especially those in Europe who see the riches on offer in the Premier League as a way of massaging their own sometimes unstable finances. As one United source said of their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, "we're not going to fix Barcelona's financial problems for them".
Every Premier League executive is aware that clubs on the continent see them coming with pound signs spinning in their eyes, but being held to ransom can set a dangerous precedent. There is an understandable reality that clubs don't want to go head-to-head in expensive bidding wars for players, especially for United in the case of Nunez when his preference was always going to be a move to Anfield.
United face competition from below them as well as above this summer, however. If signing players from under the nose of City or Liverpool is difficult, then there could well be occasions they have to take on the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle.
Spurs have had a £150million cash injection to fill up Antonio Conte's war chest, as they sense real opportunity to build a squad capable of challenging under a manager they must realise they're fortunate to have.
Reports in Italy had suggested that the two clubs are locking horns over Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni — before his agent quashed the rumours. In any case, United are prioritising their midfield and attack ahead of their defence and talk of a bid for the centre back is wide of the mark.
Newcastle are an unknown quantity this summer, unable to offer the attractions of the big six in terms of prestige or European football, but with more cash to spend than all of them and a desire to gate-crash that elite club as soon as possible.
For United, having just finished sixth and recorded their worst points tally in the Premier League era, success in their first season under Ten Hag will simply be a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League. But that will not be easily achieved and the Dutchman's first season could live or die on the outcome of this transfer window.
City and Liverpool are untouchable and, while there is a degree of upheaval around Chelsea this summer, they still have an outstanding squad and a world-class manager. That might leave just one place up for grabs.
Tottenham also have one of the very best managers in Europe and are planning to significantly improve their squad. They are an obvious danger to United both this summer and next season, even if Arsenal look catchable and Newcastle are likely to need another transfer window or two to bother the elite.
But for most of the clubs chasing the top two, a good transfer window is absolutely vital. As United are finding out, flexibility might also be required in a summer when those sides are trying to improve in similar areas.
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