Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the Old Trafford touchline.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe faces a big summer. (Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images.)
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe poised to wield the axe and oversee another round of job cuts, it is becoming increasingly clear Manchester United's summer transfer budget will not resemble a bottomless pit.
It is understood that around another 100 people are set to lose their jobs at United as Ineos continues to make cost-cutting decisions. Around 250 staff members were laid off only a few months ago.
Since securing control of football operations at Old Trafford last year, Ineos have had to make big decisions across the board, with the club's financial situation at the forefront of their thinking. They inherited a financial mess and are now attempting to rebuild a once great empire.
But with finances and the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules [PSR] dictating their thinking, United are likely to tread carefully in the summer transfer window.
United find themselves in a position where the squad, in an ideal world, needs gutting and rebuilding from scratch. That is a pipedream. Amorim will require multiple windows to build the squad that matches his vision. Patience will be key.
However, that is not to say United's hands will be completely tied. The club's decision not to commit to signing a striker on deadline day earlier this month was as a direct result of prioritising summer spending instead.
The addition of a striker is poised to be United's main recruitment objective ahead of the 2025/26 season amid the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. The duo have scored just 12 goals between them in all competitions this season.
United gambled north of £108million on the aforementioned duo in back-to-back summer transfer windows when neither of them had established themselves as a proven goalscorer. United needed someone of Harry Kane's ilk in both 2023 and 2024.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee applaud Manchester United's fans.
Rasmus Hojlund (left) and Joshua Zirkzee have struggled for goals this season. (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images.)
Desperately short of firepower, United need a new marksman to lead their attack. Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres is the striker most supporters want, but United's financial situation means that a move for the Sweden international may not be possible.
With United facing the prospect of being somewhat restricted in the summer, Lille man Jonathan David remains a suitable option. His contract at the French club is up at the end of this season and he has so far shown no signs of committing his future to the club.
Scoring 104 goals in 218 games since joining Lille from Gent in 2020, the Canadian has established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe's top five leagues. He has 20 goals to his name already this season, meaning he is only six short of equalling his tally of 26 from each of the last two seasons.
Banging the goals in at such a prolific rate has put clubs right across Europe on high alert amid his contract situation. The chance of landing a striker as prolific as him on a free transfer does not come around all that often. The likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United have all been linked with his signature.
David, who turned 25 last month, has proven he can deliver the goods at the highest level, scoring six goals in eight Champions League games this season. His goals single-handedly earned Lille five points in the league phase, ensuring they finished in one of the automatic qualification spots.
As a result of his exploits in Europe's premier club competition this season, the striker will be within his rights to expect Champions League football as part of the package at his next club should he decide to move on from Lille at the end of this campaign. United's only hope of playing in the Champions League next term is by winning this season's Europa League.
Jonathan David celebrates with his Lille teammates after scoring against Liverpool at Anfield.
Jonathan David (centre) could be the answer to Manchester United's goalscoring problems. (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images.)
United are seven games away from winning the competition, meaning with their Premier League campaign as good as over, they ought to be focusing on winning their first European trophy since 2017. If they achieve that ambition, the prospect of signing David will become a lot more realistic.
David ticks several boxes for United, not least the fact he may be attainable on a free transfer and he is an established goalscorer. However, it is down to United to ensure they are in the running.