Manchester United were reportedly bombarded with offers to sign 15 different players during a manic week in the summer transfer window.
United signed six players in the off-season to bolster Erik ten Hag’s squad following an exodus of players upon the expiry of their contracts. Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka all arrived, but that was not the whole story.
Ten Hag identified Barcelona ’s Frenkie de Jong as his priority transfer target and United’s recruitment team, spearheaded by football director John Murtough and chief executive Richard Arnold, spent months pursuing the midfielder. They also came close to signing Juventus ’ Adrien Rabiot and Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic, only to back out of both deals.
