With Erik ten Hag not yet certain of what kind of budget he will be handed this summer, the Manchester United manager may be drawing up a list of cheap buys.
Whichever way the takeover process goes, United will have to contend with Financial Fair Play rules after last year’s £225m spend. That means more exits than arrivals, with the exits funding the arrivals.
Ten Hag is eager to bring in a new midfielder as well as a marquee striker and the list of linked names is long. Mason Mount, Declan Rice and Alexis Mac Allister are but a few on it.
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Many clubs will be after those stars too, with even more circling the three sides relegated from the Premier League this season. Leicester playmaker James Maddison is the standout name while James Ward-Prowse will surely leave Southampton.
Tyler Adams of Leeds will turn a few heads too. One man in that relegated cohort has been linked with United sporadically over the last few years.
Youri Tielemans was mainly touted for a switch to Old Trafford after Leicester’s FA Cup triumph. Now 26, the Belgian has announced his inevitable exit from the King Power Stadium.
Taking to Instagram to confirm his departure, he wrote: "Dear Leicester City fans, after 4.5 special years and with a lot of gratitude I’m bidding farewell to this incredible club.
"We’ve shared many special moments together. I am forever grateful for your unwavering support. Thank you to Khun Top, the board, the staff, the players and fans for having given me and my family a home. This is not a goodbye, but a heartfelt farewell."
Tielemans sees his contract expire next month and has a plethora of opportunities at his feet. It remains to be seen whether Ten Hag will be one of those tabling an offer, but the news of his availability is tempting.
The Dutchman has already shown his nous for a Bosman deal, Christian Eriksen being a fruitful addition to United’s ranks. Tielemans would be a similar low-risk punt and would fill the gap left by Fred, should he make an exit to Fulham or beyond.
No decision has yet been made over whether Marcel Sabitzer will be brought in permanently after his loan from Bayern Munich, but the lack of noise about the possibility seems ominous for the Austrian.
Tielemans would be an upgrade on Sabitzer with many more years left ahead of him in his career - something that cannot be said of Eriksen, now age 31.
The question is whether Ten Hag deems Tielemans to have enough quality to make an impact at United with his signing adding to the wage budget, all of which has to be managed carefully amid FFP.
But the playmaker is an appealing option on a free and he has given Ten Hag the food for thought he wanted ahead of a huge 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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