United View: Manchester United’s summer transfer window

The summer transfer window officially opened on the 14th of June and it could see the start of another hectic period for Manchester United.

Not only does the club need to bring in an influx of new talent but it also needs to see a significant number of outgoings.

United’s priority is a new number nine with Anthony Martial being the only recognised striker at the club, following the decision not to make Wout Weghorst’s loan deal permanent. And there’s already been several names linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen were seen as two premium options, but United has already dismissed the idea of signing either. Osimhen would take a significant chunk out of the summer budget while Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy is adamant about not selling to an English rival.

There are confirmed reports of United being very interested in Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund. The 20-year-old Danish international netted nine goals in Serie A last year and Atalanta is supposedly looking to receive more than €60m. But there is also interest from Bayern Munich.

Bayern also looks likely to sign Napoli centre-back Kim Min Jae, a player on United’s radar for most of last season. The South Korean has a release clause of €50m and despite their interest United look set to miss out after Bayern made the player a formal offer.

United will likely need to bring in another centre half if they are to move on club captain Harry Maguire. Fellow defenders Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe left the club last week after reaching the end of their contracts.

David De Gea’s contract is also set to expire soon but nothing has been said whether he will renew or leave Manchester United. Some suggest the club is on the hunt for a new goalkeeper to replace De Gea who has been with the club since 2011.

The two names being considered are Andre Onana (27) from Inter Milan and Diogo Costa (23) from Porto. Both have excellent distribution and composure on the ball, something Ten Hag wants from his keeper.

Onana stood out in the Champions League final despite falling short to Manchester City and has already worked with Erik Ten Hag during their time at Ajax. The Cameroon international will likely cost less than Costa, with the Portuguese number one having a £65 million release clause.

A new midfielder is also expected to be brought in should United balance their budget correctly. Chelsea’s Mason Mount is looking like the most likely option, with United already submitting a £40 million offer which was rejected. The English international only has one year left on his Chelsea contract.

Essentially United are looking to improve the spine of their team but with the takeover still being dragged out, it's unclear around the budget for the summer. And the Reds will need to move on several players to raise funds.

The current uncertainty around transfers is being directly affected by the current takeover and unfortunately, continues to be dragged out. In addition to this United need to be careful not to break any Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Unfortunately, it does appear that United is still somewhat of a mess behind the scenes. And they can’t afford to fall behind their rivals who have already begun to strengthen their squads.

It’s still only early days though and perhaps some clarity and movement will be made soon. However, they really ought to get a move on before they begin their pre-season, which kicks off against Leeds on the 12th of July.