Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins
July 1 marks yet another important milestone as we prepare for the new Premier League season as Manchester United can firmly see the start of pre-season in sight.
Soon, the current squad will be arriving at Carrington to undergo their medical tests and then start their first pre-season with Ruben Amorim at the helm. In just 18 days, United will take on their first pre-season fixture in Stockholm against Leeds and that will be our first chance to cast our eyes over the squad.
Currently, first-team additions have been in short supply. Diego Leon, who was signed in January, shall arrive but it is unclear if he will be involved immediately with the senior team or be embedded into the youth set-up. Matheus Cunha is the only fully fledged senior signing this summer but plenty more deals, both in and out, are expected before the season kicks off in earnest.
Ahead of the new campaign, MEN Sport has taken a stab at managing United and this is what we would do.
Mbeumo deal completed
It was refreshing to hear a player state they would be happy to stay at their current club if their dream move cannot be ratified this summer. Just a shame for United that it happened to be Bryan Mbeumo who has taken this noble stance.
While this does strengthen the hand of Brentford, MEN Sport understands United remain firmly in talks and the hope remains that a deal shall be agreed. At the moment, the confidence remains that Mbeumo will be a Red at the start of this season and hopefully the transfer can be agreed sooner rather than later.
Clear out on the wings
If last season taught us anything, Amorim is not going to alter his formation even when times are hard. Therefore, it seems there is little to be gained with keeping four wingers who are clearly better off plying their trade elsewhere.
Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony should all be sold as a matter of urgency. In an ideal world, United would be able to bank £50m for Garnacho from Chelsea or, preferably, a club overseas, £40m for Rashford, £20m for Sancho and £25m for Antony.
Should they manage that, they would bring in £135m and, in turn, kickstart their summer business.
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho (Image: Annice Lyn/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Watkins arrival
The addition of Ollie Watkins to the United rumour mill is one that has been welcomed by almost all supporters. Aston Villa's centre-forward has consistently scored in the Premier League and would be a reliable addition to the squad.
His £60m asking price seems strong considering his age but the three years remaining on his contract will do that to a valuation. The hope for United is that Watkins did not seem particularly thrilled in the West Midlands last season, especially when he lost his place to Marcus Rashford up front.
That seemed a bizarre decision at the time and one which United could exploit should Watkins become unsettled. Alternatively, they could look to sell another asset to try and boost their budget towards the 29-year-old's price tag.
Hojlund sale
Rasmus Hojlund could become a brilliant striker in the future - he has shown glimpses of what he can do already. In the here and now, it is just not working.
With money tight and a revolution needed quickly, Hojlund is a sellable asset who could bring in some good money for the Reds. It is thought his exit could bring in a cool £50m for United which would be great business and perhaps doable too considering how high his stock remains in Italy.
It would not be a surprise to see him do well away from Old Trafford but United cannot afford to wait that long for it to happen.
Casemiro pictured on the ball for Manchester United during their end of season tour (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Casemiro solution
The Brazilian midfielder managed to change a lot of opinions in the Europa League last season but if you are looking to cut costs, you really need to sell Casemiro. He is unlikely to be offered a new deal this campaign and as one of the top earners at Old Trafford, his exit could free up salaries for two incomings.
United's ideal solution would be to sell Casemiro to Al Nassr where he could reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo. The difficulty is that the Saudi Pro League is perhaps not an enticing destination with a World Cup to come in the United States.
But, if United could snag a healthy £15m fee for the midfielder, they could be able to add another centre-forward to their team.
Gyokeres decision
Viktor Gyokeres would be Amorim's top choice this summer but that deal looks too messy considering Sporting's stance. Thus, I would look to an alternative in Victor Osimhen.
His pedigree in Italy makes him arguably a safer bet than Gyokeres to succeed in the Premier League. He has the strength and speed which Gyokeres boasts and Osimhen also comes off the back of an impressive 2024/25 season.
Osimhen is closer to leaving Napoli than Gyokeres is to leaving Sporting so it could be a deal that is agreed quickly.
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