The summer transfer window officially opens its doors today (Friday), meaning clubs in England are now free to trade as they wish up until September 1.
For Manchester United, this summer promises to be the most important window they have faced as a club in recent years, as new manager Erik ten Hag takes on the challenge of trying to put them back on the road towards success. It has already been confirmed that Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata will all leave the club when their contracts expire later this month.
Their departures — as well as those of Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani — have freed up space in the squad, so United will be looking to try and get some incoming deals wrapped up as quickly as possible. Pre-season training is scheduled to start on June 27 and the squad will fly out to Thailand in early-July for their pre-season tour.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag keen to keep highly rated coach Eric Ramsay at Manchester United
That means that Ten Hag and the United hierarchy face a race against time to ensure at least some new signings are on the plane. The club is eager to strengthen several positions, including centre-back, central-midfield and up front.
MEN Sport has taken a close look at five players that the bookmakers are linking with moves to Old Trafford this summer:
Frenkie de Jong - 1/2
United, as reported by the Manchester Evening News last month, are weighing up a big-money move for Barcelona midfielder De Jong, and, according to the bookmakers, it appears as though it has a strong chance of happening. Signing a central-midfield is a leading priority for Ten Hag, and De Jong — with whom he worked with at Ajax — is among his leading targets.
Various reports in Spain recently have claimed that United are stepping up their pursuit of the Netherlands international, but it remains to be seen what Barcelona would consider as an acceptable price to let him go. He joined them from Ajax in 2019 for £65million and it is certain that they would want to make a profit.
Pau Torres - 4/1
United have revived their interest in Villarreal centre-back Torres, with the addition of a central-defender another of their leading priorities this summer. The Spaniard was on United's radar 12 months ago and they were prepared to make a move for him if their attempts to sign Raphael Varane failed.
The 25-year-old is considered as one of the best defenders in La Liga and is not short on suitors right now. It is widely reported that Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in his signature, and the bookmakers have installed the London outfit as the current favourites to sign him at 5/4, ahead of United.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7/2
A left-field inclusion, but United are currently the second favourites with the bookmakers to sign Liverpool midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer. He has just one year remaining on his contract and looks set to be allowed to leave Anfield.
It seems the former Arsenal and Southampton ace does not figure in Jurgen Klopp's long-term plans, meaning this summer will represent Liverpool's last meaningful chance to command a respectable fee for him ahead of his deal expiring. The 28-year-old is likely to be on the radar of several clubs, with the bookmakers suggesting that United might express an interest.
Aston Villa are the current favourites to secure his signature at 3/1.
Christian Eriksen - 9/1
Since making an emotional return to professional football in February with Brentford after his cardiac arrest last year, Eriksen has shown why he remains capable of performing in the Premier League. The Bees' gamble of signing him on a short-term deal paid off in style.
In 11 appearances, Eriksen scored one goal and grabbed four assists for Brentford. He was the architect of much of their good fortune towards the end of the season and now both United and his former club, Tottenham, are being heavily linked with him on a free transfer.
The Bees are the favourites to keep him, but Spurs and United are currently ranked in second and third, respectively.
Ivan Toney - 10/1
Another Brentford player United are being linked with, via the bookmakers, is Toney. The striker excelled in his first season as a Premier League regular, scoring a very respectable 12 goals in 33 matches, and grabbing five assists.
He was instrumental in helping the Bees earn promotion from the Championship in 2020/21, scoring 33 goals, and he adapted to life in the top-flight with relative ease. Cristiano Ronaldo is set to continue as Ten Hag's first choice frontman, so someone of Toney's mould could be a suitable back-up option. United are currently the fourth favourites to sign him with the bookies.
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