United View: Still work to do in the transfer market

After a near perfect start to this summer’s transfer window, things have somewhat stagnated as far as Manchester United are concerned. 

The Reds moved quickly to secure the signature of 23-year-old forward Joshua Zirkzee in early July, before convincing one of the best young prospects in world football to join the club in 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro, despite interest from European giants Real Madrid. 

Since then, it has been rather quiet on the transfer front. 

It is clear that manager Erik ten Hag is keen for some new reinforcements, but due to financial constraints it seems United must offload some of their fringe players first in order to facilitate these incomings. 

One of those rumoured to be on the club's radar is PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte.  

The 23-year-old Uruguayan is seen as the answer to United’s issues in defensive midfield, but a huge gap in valuation between the two clubs has stalled the deal. 

PSG are said to want around €70m for the former Sporting Lisbon man but this is well outside the range United are willing to pay. 

Instead, the Reds are exploring the possibility of a loan with an obligation to buy, which seems to be a more realistic option. 

It is likely that a deal will be agreed in the coming days, with the French club keen to offload a midfielder to fund their pursuit of Benfica’s Joao Neves. 

Elsewhere, after the expiry of Sofyan Amrabat’s loan, United have decided against triggering the buy option for the Morocco international, believing he is not worth the €20m that was previously agreed. 

Despite this, United are still in talks with Fiorentina over a permanent deal for the 27-year-old for a reduced fee. 

In other news, United are involved in a transfer triangle with West Ham and Bayern Munich. 

United are keen to bring in Bayern’s Noussair Mazraoui, but any potential deal would need to involve Aaron Wan-Bissaka leaving the club first. 

One of the clubs said to be interested in the English full back are West Ham, who are confident of securing a deal in the coming days. 

This would provide United with the funds to go after Mazraoui, who previously worked with Erik ten Hag during his Ajax days. 

The Reds are said to have agreed personal terms with the right back for a five-year deal, and it is thought Bayern would accept a bid within the region of €20m. 

Whilst I am a huge fan of Mazraoui, I would be sad to see Wan-Bissaka go. 

During his time at United, he has shown his ability to lock down an opposition winger on numerous occasions. 

Whilst I concede that Mazraoui has more to his game in an attacking sense, having someone with a skillset as unique as Wan Bissaka’s is invaluable to the squad in my eyes.  

One of the main factors in United’s desire to move the 26-year-old on may be the fact he only has one year remaining on his contract, and so selling him this summer eliminates the possibility of him leaving for free next summer, which I would fully understand. 

Meanwhile, Leny Yoro’s injury looks to have highlighted the need for another central defender. 

The Frenchman was forced off with an ankle injury just 35 minutes into United’s latest pre-season friendly, a 2-1 loss to Arsenal on Sunday. 

The injury is likely to see the 18-year-old sidelined for at least a couple of months, which piles the pressure on INEOS to bring in another centre back before the end of the window. 

United’s ideal target for this position is another Bayern Munich man, Matthijs de Ligt, who is said to be open to a move to Old Trafford. 

Much like the Ugarte deal, the sticking point seems to be the price, with Bayern valuing the Dutchman at around €50m, which is slightly more than United are willing to pay. 

I for one, think it is imperative that United cough up the cash for de Ligt. 

In my opinion, they cannot afford to go into another season with an injury prone Martinez and a teenager, in Leny Yoro, as their main defensive options. 

While Harry Maguire has proved he can be a capable back-up option, I wouldn’t be comfortable with him playing as many games as he did last season, and for me, Victor Lindelof has overstayed his welcome at the club.  

With the transfer window set to close on August 30, there is still plenty of time for United to get their business done in time. 

If they can manage to get the Ugarte and de Ligt deals over the line and perhaps bring in another midfielder on top, I would see that as a successful window overall. 

As mentioned, I wouldn’t consider a new right-back as a necessity, but Mazraoui’s ability to also operate in the left-back position means he could prove to be a smart signing, especially with Luke Shaw’s injury issues.