Topics: Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United, Premier League, Ivan Toney
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to make a Manchester United transfer that has not been seen since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of the club.
Ratcliffe is closing in on a 25 per cent stake in United, with his £1.3billion buy-out thought to be edging closer to completion.
And it has been widely claimed that the British petrochemicals billionaire will assume control of United’s football operation.
A Mail Online report has said that Ratcliffe is already planning an overhaul of the club’s recruitment set-up.
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The publication has claimed that Ratcliffe is set to instruct his new-look United recruitment team to prioritise signing home-grown talent. In the past, United have shown a commitment to showcasing local and domestic talent.
However, in recent years there has been a greater focus on the foreign transfer markets, with only Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James, Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount and Jonny Evans having signed as homegrown talents since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
In particular, the Mail has reported that United are among the club’s closely monitoring Brentford striker Ivan Toney ahead of the next two transfer windows.
The one-cap England international is expected to leave the Bees in the summer, with United reportedly set to face competition from Arsenal and Chelsea for his signature.
A move to Arsenal is said to be an enticing prospect for Toney, but the Gunners are also thought to be interested in Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as prospective centre-forwards.
Should United sign Toney, he would be the first English No.9 the club has purchased since Ferguson was in charge at Old Trafford.
The Mail added that United are also interested in Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, but added that the England defender is unlikely to be available until the summer and would cost a minimum of £60million.
