2 weeks ago
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Amorim's big rebuild
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Manchester United will know that anything less than a perfect summer transfer window could prove disastrous to their fortunes in the Premier League next season. With new manager Ruben Amorim struggling to get the best out of the squad he inherited last season, the Old Trafford club will now be forced to back the Portuguese tactician in a bid to prove their doubters wrong and start climbing up the league table. Only a new team with fresh faces will be able to bring forth a new era for the Red Devils. So as deals are made for players to join and depart the club in equal measure, let’s take a look at how Amorim’s team is taking shape ahead of the new season.
Who have Man Utd signed this summer?
At the time of writing, Man Utd has already spent €78.2 million on new signings for Amorim’s squad. The most notable addition has undoubtedly been the arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, who joined for no less than €74m. He joins 18-year-old left-back Diego León from Cerro Porteño as the only confirmed deals of the summer window thus far. But if the rumour mill is to be believed, the Old Trafford club have plenty of more signings on the way.
To no great surprise, much of the speculation has surrounded Man Utd’s forward positions. Alongside Cunha, the club have also continued their pursuit of Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo. According to Sky Sports, the Old Trafford club have now submitted a second offer for the 25-year-old winger that stands at around €71m. The club have also been heavily linked with a host of other attacking players, such as Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike and Sporting talisman Viktor Gyokeres. However, the most recent rumour from the Telegraph suggests that the Old Trafford club may be tempted to sign French winger Christopher Nkunku as part of a player exchange with Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Man Utd may be tempted to make a big change between the posts this summer. First-choice keeper André Onana remains far from convincing and the Old Trafford club are reportedly considering another candidate for their No.1 position. According to the Sun, Man Utd are hoping to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who is not only apparently desperate to make the move to the Red Devils but could be put up for sale as the Birmingham club look to fall into line with PSR rules.
Who have Man Utd sold this summer?
At this moment in time Man Utd have bid farewell to three senior players in Victor Lindelöf, Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans, but each of these players left the club for free and there’s a very good chance that the Old Trafford side will have to earn some money in the transfer window before they can make more big changes to Amorim’s side.
As previously noted, Onana is a candidate for sale with the shot-stopper heavily linked with a move to French side Monaco. However, the 29-year-old talent is likely to be the only defensive player to be sold by Man Utd this summer, with most of their outgoings being unwanted attacking players. There are no less than five big attacking names that are likely to depart Old Trafford this summer: Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and perhaps even Rasmus Højlund. However, it remains to be seen how many will find suitable buyers in the coming months.
For instance, Antony has been speculatively linked with a move to Como and Sancho is reportedly on his way to Istanbul to play for Fenerbahce. But both rumours are still rather speculative. And added to that is the ongoing saga with Marcus Rashford, who has stated that he would like to play for Barcelona but isn’t entirely sure if the feeling is mutual. One player that does seem certain to depart is Garnacho, who has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea and could be included in the aforementioned deal to bring Nkuku to Old Trafford. Similarly, if Man Utd do sign Ekitike or Gyokeres, Inter’s reported interest in Højlund could quickly become a serious offer to take the young striker off Amorim’s hands.
For now, Man Utd have yet to make a single big sale in the window, but the five players that are reportedly for sale have a combined market value of €193m. And if the club can find buyers for each star forward, it would give them far more room to manoeuvre in the transfer window and more money to spend on the players that may actually help Amorim’s side next season.
