Manchester United have drawn up their shortlist for a summer squad overhaul – and have been reported to be hopeful of raising a nine-figure sum through player sales.
The Daily Mail writes that manager Erik ten Hag will have a diminished role when it comes to player recruitment – not terribly surprising, given their ongoing pursuit of Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth and now Southampton’s Jason Wilcox to spearhead their transfer business in future.
The paper adds that centre-back will be one of Manchester United’s priority positions in the off-season, with three names put forward as possibilities.
Centre-backs in frame for Manchester United transfer plans
The first is Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. The England under-21 international has had a standout season for Sean Dyche’s struggling side and is said to have ‘been on [United’s] radar for some time’.
The suggestion is that United are waiting for Everton to set their asking price for Branthwaite; they may be well-advised to see which division the Toffees are in next season, as relegation to the Championship would give the Red Devils considerable leverage.
Another touted target is, we suspect, simply the first name United found in the Argentinian phone book: Boca Juniors’ 18-year-old Aaron Anselmio. Barcelona’s 19-year-old Senegalese international Mikayil Faye is the other name posited as a potential new arrival for United.
The Mail add that United are ‘also expected to be in the market for [a] centre-forward, central midfielder and right-back this summer’. Is that all?
As with all Premier League clubs at the moment, United will be wary of the perils of running afoul of Financial Fair Play restrictions.
To that end, something of a fire sale could be on the agenda to fund their spending spree, with the report going on to claim that they hope to make player sales worth north of £100m to help balance the books.
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