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Manchester United look set for a major squad overhaul this summer
Manchester United’s push for Champions League qualification took a surprising wobble on Monday evening, as Leeds United rocked up to Old Trafford and turned their rivals over with an impressive 2-1 victory. The result sees the Red Devils remain in third place, but they will be mindful that both Aston Villa and Liverpool gained ground on them over the weekend.
A top five finish - what is required for a return to UEFA’s elite competition next season - is looking fairly likely as things stand, with United currently seven points clear of Chelsea in sixth place. Given the dire form of the Blues, it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to leapfrog Michael Carrick’s with just six games of the campaign left to play.
Man United summer transfer window predicted - transfers in
Raul Asencio - from Real Madrid for £24m: Not to be confused with midfielder Marco Asencio, the 23-year-old centre-back was the first signing through the door, giving United some much needed fresh legs at the back. While he’s not a regular starter for Los Blancos, he’s clearly a player with bags of potential, and should thrive in the Premier League.
Yuri Alberto - from Corinthians for £17m: Oh my, this is a left-field move. The Red Devils took a total punt on the Brazilian striker, who has played almost all of his nine-year career to date in his home country, bar a brief stint with Zenit Saint Petersburg. He bagged 19 goals in all competitions last season and 31 the year before, so the 25-year-old clearly has a keen eye for goal. At less than £20m, he’s a fun punt worth taking, surely.
Ivan Martin - from Girona for £17m: A nice bit of business from United, who snapped up the technically gifted midfielder for a bargain fee. At 27, he’s very much in the prime of his career, but does represent a risk given his distinct lack of trophy-winning experience. All in all, he’ll serve as a decent deputy to Bruno Fernandes.
Vicente Guaita - free agent: The 39-year-old free agent goalkeeper was given a chance for one last dance by United - although that last dance may well be restricted to some light shuffling on the bench for most of the season, with the odd jive in the Carabao Cup, perhaps. A free agent after leaving Parma, Guaita was brought in to bolster United’s supply of stoppers, and presumably provide some guidance to the club’s more junior glovesmen.
Dominic Solanke - £40m from Tottenham: Goodness gracious me - that is some way to blow £40m. The ex-Bournemouth striker was considered a lethal Premier League marksman a few seasons ago, but he’s done little to impress since joining Spurs, scoring just 12 goals in 42 league appearances. A bold gamble from United, that is for sure.
Man United summer transfer window predicted - transfers out
Diogo Dalot - £21m to Brighton: A surprising one here, as the Portuguese full-back went to the south coast for a relatively low fee - not much more than United paid for him back in 2018, in fact. He’s made over 240 appearances for the club to date, and was the club’s Player’s Player of the Year for the 2023/24 season.
Toby Collyer - £11m to Southampton: After two spells on loan in the Championship, with West Bromwich Albion and Hull City respectively, the highly-rated 22-year-old left the club on a permanent deal, exiting Old Trafford having made 12 further first team appearances since making his debut in 2024.
Rasmus Hojlund - £38m to Napoli: Just a formality, this one, with Napoli activating the ‘option-to-buy’ clause in their loan deal for the Denmark international. He struggled greatly during his time at Old Trafford, but has enjoyed a far better time of it in Serie A, netting fourteen times in all competitions so far this season.
Manuel Ugarte - £40m to RB Leipzig: Odd, just very odd. Despite having three years left on his contract, United decided to sell Ugarte, with Leipzig making the big-money move after selling a number of top players. Maybe he did an Enzo Fernandez and made some wild comments in the press, prompting United to take swift action.
Loans: A number of United players went out on loan. Altay Bayindir headed back to Turkey with Besiktas, Ayden Heaven joined Wrexham, Tyler Fletcher joined Swindon, Sekou Kone went to Port Vale, and Harry Maguire - despite just signing a new contract - went to Brighton. Maybe their new manager just didn’t fancy him?
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