New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has had to be patient in the summer transfer window with full-back Tyrell Malacia the only arrival at Old Trafford to date.
There has already been a significant exodus of players from United this year. Paul Pogba is on the lookout for a new club after United confirmed his exit at the end of his contract before the club also said their goodbyes to Jesse Lingard. Spanish playmaker Juan Mata's exit at the end of his contract was then confirmed.
Nemanja Matic has departed too, joining Roma, while Edinson Cavani and Lee Grant – who has taken up a coaching role at Ipswich Town – have also left the first-team squad at United. Dean Henderson has joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal while Andreas Pereira is on the verge of joining Fulham on a permanent deal.
The news that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave United after just one season is adding further strain onto a squad which has been significantly slimmed down from recent campaigns and causing Ten Hag to rethink the club’s transfer policy for this summer.
United made a vow this summer not to pay a premium in the transfer market for their preferred targets, which was a mistake that Ten Hag’s predecessors continually made. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the club paid significantly inflated fees to land Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire in high profile examples in his first summer at the helm.
Ten Hag has is attempting to persuade midfielder Frenkie de Jong to join Old Trafford this summer after an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona in the region of £56.2million. While this is a high price, United view it through the lens of landing Christian Eriksen as a free agent and effectively signing two players for the transfer value of one.
Have Your Say! Which players should Man Utd sign this summer? Tell us what you think here.
However, United are increasingly likely to have to abandon their transfer policy of prudency as the summer transfer window ticks on and Ten Hag becomes increasingly frustrated. The club have also been quoted at significant prices for two of their key transfer targets to bolster their squad.
United are hopeful of signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez alongside his attacking Brazilian teammate Antony, but a report from the Daily Record outlines how acquiring both players would set the club back a staggering £106.1million in transfer fees.
The reality is that United are currently six players down on how they ended last season with the impending exits of Ronaldo and Pereira set to reduce their ranks even further. With that saving on their wage bill already being over £50million and top-earner Ronaldo’s potential exit pushing it over £80million, United may be less reluctant to spend in the transfer market.
