No fewer than four midfielders are set to leave Manchester United at the end of the season.
Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic all look to have pulled on a United shirt at Old Trafford for the final time. Erik ten Hag knows one of his primary tasks will be to replenish his stock with quality replacements.
Reports suggest the Dutchman could have up to £150m to spend this summer, while player sales could offer more manoeuvrability in the market. Names such as Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Ruben Neves have all been linked with a move.
READ MORE: Manchester United can't afford to waste Declan Rice transfer opportunity
However, each would take a sizeable chunk out of Ten Hag’s budget and so he could be tempted to consider more cost-effective options. He may opt to dip into the academy with the likes of James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri raring to go.
But if he’s looking for more established personnel, then he has a number of options in the free market in June. A number of high-profile players see their deals run out in a month’s time and none of them would cost a penny to bring in. Here are a few names who may tempt the incoming United boss.
Luka Modric
The 36-year-old has just helped Real Madrid into their fifth Champions League final in 10 years after seeing off Manchester City. His age may be a concern but he still possesses world-class talent and would be a mightily experienced head around the dressing room for youngsters coming through. Whether he would like the idea of going from the Champions League final to the Europa League group stages, though, is another matter.
Corentin Tolisso
Tolisso has five Bundesliga titles, a Champions League and two DFB-Pokal winners' medals to his name, so he knows what it takes to be a winner. The 27-year-old still has a number of years to offer in his career and would be a superb midfield partner to a big-money signing.
The fact he will cost nothing this summer is sure to attract interest so Ten Hag may want to go early and set the ball rolling for the squad revamp.
Boubacar Kamara
United are one of a number of clubs who have been linked with Kamara. The 22-year-old has impressed for Marseille this season and is very much of the Ten Hag mould.
The youngster has bags of potential and could become a world-class talent under the right guidance. That said, Marseille are in a Champions League spot with three games left to play and, if they secure qualification, a move to Europa League-bound United may be unappealing.
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