Feyenoord's Quinten Timber battles with AC Milan star Youssouf Fofana
Feyenoord's Quinten Timber battles with AC Milan star Youssouf Fofana
Amid all the noise surrounding Manchester United's summer transfer business there is one glaring priority that has produced little in the way of potential solutions.
search for attacking midfield reinforcements has made waves in the transfer market following the arrival of for £62.5million and their public
Similarly, it is common knowledge that United are desperate to sign a proven goalscorer. There was disappointment when Liam Delap opted to join Chelsea, while they have been linked with moves for the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitike.
But signing a new midfielder was also high on United's list of priorities this summer and, as of yet, there has been little in the way of progress on that front.
There's even been very little in the way of transfer links, with Atalanta midfielder Ederson possibly the only notable name to have been tentatively linked with a move to Old Trafford next season.
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Bruno Fernandes is expected to drop back into a deeper midfield role next season and all eyes are on who will partner him at the base of midfield.
Christian Eriksen will leave the club on a free transfer next week, while this summer will offer United the last chance to offload Brazilian international Casemiro, 33, for a significant transfer fee.
That leaves Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo as the two other options to partner Fernandes but it also means United would need to bring in another midfield body to compete with them.
Ugarte is a favourite of Ruben Amorim having worked with him at Sporting CP but hasn't quite lived up to the expectation that surrounded him when he arrived from PSG last summer.
Mainoo was United's breakout star in 2023/24 and ended the season by starting for England in the final of EURO 2024. Last season proved more difficult, though, with injuries hampering his progress and Amorim seemingly not sure of his starting position.
United will look to find a player to drive Ugarte and Mainoo on next season and compete to start alongside Fernandes. But if moves for Mbeumo and a forward prove to be expensive, United may look for a more cost effective option in midfield.
And that search could bring them to Feyenoord captain Quinten Timber, twin brother of Arsenal defender Jurrien, who is out of contract at De Kuip at the end of next season.
Transfermarkt value the Dutch international at around £30million and he is a player who Liverpool manager Arne Slot loves. Slot managed the 24-year-old at De Kuip and he described Timber as a 'special player'.
When asked about links with Timber joining Arsenal, Slot told "If he continues to develop as he has this year, then his ceiling is extremely high because he has undergone great development over the past year.
"He is a special player. He has the strength and speed to create an overload in midfield. I think he has a very good mentality and is a good lad. [Quinten and Jurrien] are both very, very good. I don't think it is ruled out that Quinten could also go to a club of [Arsenal's] calibre."
Former Tottenham and Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has described him as 'incredibly good' while Dutch national team coach Ronald Koeman has spoken about how he feels Timber is ready to take the next step abroad.
Given his situation, and the testimonies of Slot, Van Der Vaart and Koeman, United could do a lot worse than shopping in the Eredivisie again.