WITH Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in Manchester United set to be confirmed in the coming days, there has been a lot of speculation over how the club will operate going forward.
It is understood Ratcliffe, 71, is planning a massive overhaul of the club’s football operations including both strategy and personnel once his 25 per cent buy in worth £1.3billion is confirmed.
SunSport has revealed this includes a plan for a January firesale with Brazilian flop Antony, outcast Jadon Sancho and underperforming Anthony Martial all on the chopping block.
With this in mind, the Red Devils will need to dip into the market to replenish and improve the squad.
Man Utd have blown £1.4bn on transfers since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, with under-fire boss Erik ten Hag being allowed to spend £374million of this in initial fees.
Ratcliffe has already suggested how he will operate in the market, stating in a 2019 interview with The Times that he would never “want to be the dumb money in town”.
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One of the main issues Ten Hag has faced this season has been a lack of quality options at centre-back.
Injury to Lisandro Martinez – who is now not expected back until Christmas – has seen Man Utd’s ability to build from back to front greatly diminished.
Ten Hag wanted a new centre-back in the summer and targeted Kim Min-jae before he signed for Bayern Munich.
This has seen them switch focus to Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo after only managing to land Jonny Evans over the summer.
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Manchester Evening News report the 23-year-old Frenchman is on the club’s shortlist of summer targets, and given Ratcliffe owns Nice – who currently sit top of Ligue 1 – a deal could be made easier.
Man Utd are also said to be eyeing recruits in midfield, while a winger will need to be signed to make for the prospective sale of Antony and Sancho.
Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana is another star who has been linked with Man Utd.
The Red Devils have been crying out a player who can seamlessly link defence and attack while providing a solid spine to the team.
Fofana’s stats in Ligue 1 mark him out as one of the most progressive midfielders in the division both in terms of ball carrying and passing into the final third, while his defensive numbers are also solid.
This could also prove useful for Sofyan Amrabat, who is yet to show his best at Old Trafford thanks in part to the lack of structure around him.
Monaco full-back Vanderson has been linked with an Old Trafford move as well.
Both the Brazilian and Fofana were signed by Paul Mitchell, who Ratcliffe is said to be eyeing as Man Utd’s new sporting director.
Another option at full-back is Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong, though given he extended his contract with the Bundesliga outfit until 2028 he may prove difficult to acquire.
Current right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has his future in limbo with his contract running out in the summer unless a one-year extension is triggered.
Further forward, Federico Chiesa appears to be a prime target for Man Utd on the wing.
Juventus are reportedly open to selling the Italian, and with a £52m fee being touted he may represent an ideal move considering Man Utd’s Financial Fair Play restrictions.
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Other stars such as Evan Ferguson and Pedro Neto have also been linked, though both will likely cost more than the Euro 2020 winner which may leave the club unable to land other vital targets.
Senior stars such as Raphael Varane and Casemiro have both been linked with transfer to Saudi Arabia given their respective poor form this season.
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Tony Robertson
