Early into June, and Manchester United fans are already restless. The transfer window will not close until midnight on the 31st August, in over two months time, but as ever with United, the rumour mill always runs fast.
In the summer transfer window, it runs so fast that it could probably power the entire city of Manchester.
A recent report from Rob Dawson of ESPN says that Manchester United will have 'sizeable budget' this summer. It is likely that, should he be signed, the bulk of this will be spent on Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and the man in charge is keen to be reunited with his former player.
The latest news suggests that United have now put in an offer for the Dutch midfielder, which, if true, is a strong sign that a transfer to Manchester for De Jong will materialise, as the club seldom make offers if they aren’t certain that it will either be accepted or are positive that a final fee can be subsequently agreed.
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In terms of other links, United have been linked quite strongly to a left-footed centre-back, with Alessandro Bastoni and Sven Botman recently emerging as targets for the club.
Although, the former's agent has come out to say that the Italian will not be leaving Inter Milan this summer.
Erik Ten Hag has always considered having a left-footed central defender important in a squad, with both Lisandro Martinez and former Red Devil Daley Blind being key players for him due to the passing angles they offer when playing out from the back.
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The club has also been mentioned alongside PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré, with Ten Hag seemingly recognising that signing just one midfielder is not enough, considering the loss of both Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic as free agents.
United’s squad is in need of rebuilding, and whilst it was suggested by former interim boss Ralf Rangnick that the club would need up to ten incomings in order to properly re-shape, this is unlikely to be able to occur in just one window.
Even if United were to enter the free agent market, it would take a significant number of outgoings on top of those already departing for United to raise enough capital and free up enough room on an already overloaded wage bill for this to be feasible.
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United’s squad contains a significant pool of talent - this is undeniable. There are a multitude of players already at the club who could benefit greatly from the change in management such as Luke Shaw, Jadon Sancho, and Amad Diallo, the last of which has the potential to fill the gaping hole on the right side of the Old Trafford turf.
United also have one of their most talented groups of youth talent in years, with the U18s side having triumphed in the FA Youth Cup last month. The standout in this group is Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho, an electric forward with real superstar potential.
United most certainly have players that can play a part should they not get everything they need this summer, it is imperative that in the long term the club get the right players rather than buying square pegs to fit round holes, and it would be less damaging to the club to use what they have right now and replace them when the right target pops up rather than to buy a player now who isn’t right.
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Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Frenkie De Jong, Alessandro Bastoni
Yusuf Haq