The latest Manchester United transfer news as we take a look at the plan for the summer transfer window that is already taking shape.
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Ruben Amorim speaks to the Old Trafford crowd after the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim is looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
It’s already been a busy summer transfer window for Manchester United as they look to put a season to forget behind them.
A 15th-place Premier League finish and loss in the Europa League final mean that there will be no European football at Old Trafford next season. It’s something that could have an impact on the transfer window, both financially and in terms of attracting players.
But a lot has been said on the plans over the next few weeks, some of which have already come to fruition. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was one of the first to talk about the window and the plans for it.
“The changes that we’ve made over this season, plus the ones that have been announced recently [more redundancies], will put us in a position to be able to do that [spend money],” he said in an interview with The Times back in March.
“At Ineos we run a lean organisation. As my mother said, you look after the pennies; the pounds look after themselves. We can sound flippant about free lunches, but if you give all these perks, first-class train fares, free taxis, it’s not coherent. It goes bust at Christmas.
“We’ve made some really tough decisions and now we’re seeing staff understanding what we’re trying to do. There’s a clear vision of what we’re trying to achieve.”
It’s a similar message from chief executive officer Omar Berrada, who told The Athletic: “We’ve put ourselves in the best position possible by doing everything that we’ve had this year around cost-cutting. I’m confident that we will come out of the window with a much stronger team than what we’ve gone into.”
Speaking last month, United boss Ruben Amorim revealed that profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs) could limit what the club could do in the transfer window.
“Omar is here, he can explain better than me," Amorim said. "We always prepare two plans: one with Champions League, one without Champions League.
"Without Champions League, we don’t need a big squad, we can control the squad in a better way. Then we have a plan that is to bring some new players, of course.
"But our big plan is to improve the team that we have, is to improve our academy, because I think that is the future. It was the past, so can be the future."It's not going to change so much because we have the financial fair play rules. We are not allowed to do much in this summer, even with Champions League, so we are prepared for that.
"It’s important to stick together. We are going to struggle, it is not going to be everything right away but I have a feeling and I see the team improving and that is the most important thing.”
Despite that concern, United have been active in the transfer window. The club have completed the £62.5 million transfer of Matheus Cunha.
“He’s a player that I think fans are going to love,” Berrada said on Cunha. “We can talk about his technical abilities and he can play in three different positions.
“He’s a playmaking attacking midfielder; he can score goals, he can make assists. I think he’s going to lift people off their seats.
“He’s got a bit of a swagger about him that people are going to really like. Dare I say, (Eric) Cantona-esque.
“He was an important one to get done. We’re going to do our best to do more signings quickly. Sometimes when you’re not quick, it’s because you’re negotiating and you’re trying to make sure you get the right value for money. So being efficient or quick isn’t necessarily the best thing for the club.”
United have also completed the signing of South American full-back Diego Leon for a fee of up to £7 million. The 17-year-old will join up with United next month, taking United’s total spend so far to £69.5 million.
United are also working on a deal for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo. The club has seen one bid of £45million with a further £10million in add-ons turned down, but discussions are understood to be continuing.
As reported by the MEN, United are also keen to strengthen their midfield, while any other significant incomings are expected to be driven by sales.
Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Casemiro are the five main players expected to leave this summer.
United are looking for a fee of £40 million for Rashford, with Barcelona linked with an interest in the forward.
Sancho spent the season on loan with Chelsea, but the Blues opted against making the deal permanent. They instead paid a £5 million fee to United to send the winger back.
Real Betis are keen to make Antony’s loan move permanent, with the Brazilian impressing during a loan spell there over the second half of the season.
Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Christian Eriksen will all leave at the end of their contracts this month.
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