Manchester United's summer transfer window may have come to an end but work towards January and beyond that has already begun
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Manchester United have reportedly decided not to target a new centre-back until the summer of 2026 as plans already begin to take shape for the January transfer window.
United's defence remained relatively untouched in the window just gone. Diego Leon arrived from Paraguay but that transfer had effectively been completed in January.
Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu were already bought that month and the feeling this summer was that the attack was the priority. According to TEAMtalk, it will be 18 months since Heaven's arrival that United will once again delve into the defensive market.
The report claims that United are not in a rush to add a centre-back to their squad. Instead, the priority for January will be to sign a central midfielder.
The Manchester Evening News reported this summer that Brighton and Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba is high on the Reds' wanted list, while TEAMtalk adds that Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, fresh off the back of a positive England camp, could also be on United's radar. Of course, while this is believed to be United's plan for the foreseeable, this can still change.
At the beginning of the summer, United were adamant that they were not going to add a new goalkeeper to their squad. Yet, after a poor performance at Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, Andre Onana has been loaned to Turkish club Trabzonspor while the goalkeeping department at Old Trafford has been bolstered by Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.
The Manchester Evening News understands that the United dressing room is relieved to see Onana join Trabzonspor this week. It is believed there were concerns about the dynamics of the squad if four goalkeepers had remained in the building until January at the earliest.
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