Manchester United: Transfer Window Preview
Manchester United will need to bolster their line up if they wish to defend their title
By Felix Short 
| May 29, 2022, 7:30 AM
Despite Winning the Champions League, United has a Big Summer Shopping List. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)
Manchester, England – Manchester United is the champions of Europe. That means that every other major club in Europe will be looking to take them out. If they’re going to defend their crown in any meaningful way, they’ll need to bolster the club this transfer window. Last season, the club suffered from a lack of quality depth and was over-reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo. That lack of depth cost them in league and cup play, as they focused their energy on the Champions League in the final months.
Now, they’re seemingly poised to lose Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba, and Cristiano Ronaldo will be a year older and in need of a partner to share the workload. If United is relying on Ronaldo to put up another fifty-goal season, they’re likely to be disappointed. Both Ronaldo and United manager Thomas Walker have said as much in recent weeks. With that considered, what are United’s priorities in this transfer window?
Center-forward
Cristiano Ronaldo played 4,557 minutes last season. That’s too many and both he and the club know it. That’s why the club has been linked with French superstar Kylian Mbappé for months. Mbappé is a free agent this summer, and while he’ll have the option to go anywhere in the world, it appears as if his choice will come down to one of Manchester United, Real Madrid, or Paris Saint-Germain. United manager Thomas Walker and Mbappé expressed mutual admiration on multiple occasions during the 2020-21 season when Walker’s Lille squad beat PSG for the Ligue Un title. Will that admiration be enough for United to convince Mbappé to reject his boyhood favorite or his hometown club? It remains to be seen. If Mbappé does indeed end up at United, he would be able to fit in well with Ronaldo as either can play on the wing, while spelling each other at center-forward.
If their pursuit of Mbappé does not go to plan, they will still need a center-forward. They’re going to lose Edinson Cavani and his minutes will need to be replaced by someone who will stay healthy. Anthony Martial can play at the nine, but he seems to have a rocky relationship with Walker. Rashford looked like a future center-forward earlier in his career, but Thomas Walker was reluctant to play him at that spot last season. The same can be said for Julián Álvarez who arrived in February. There is the looming presence of Mason Greenwood, but nobody is sure what he will be, or if he will even be with United this season. All that leads to the necessity of bringing in another forward. Who could be on that list?
Victor Osimhen seems like the obvious next candidate after Mbappé. Thomas Walker helped Osimhen become a household name at Lille before he was sold to Napoli for €70 million. A few quality seasons in Serie A have done Osimhen well, but he may now be ready to reconnect with his old boss for one of Europe’s top clubs. If Osimhen is too pricey, United may opt for a candidate like Jonathan David. David burst onto the scene in 2020-21 at Lille under Walker, and he followed that up with another good season this year. Likely available for half the price as Osimhen, he could be the player United look at. They could also go outside Walker’s lineage and look at rising stars like Benfica’s Darwin Nuñez, RB Salzburg’s Karim Adeyemi, Porto’s Evanilson, or Nice’s Amine Gouiri. It’s also rumored that Thomas Walker has an affinity for Leicester City striker Patson Daka, who didn’t play much for Leicester City last year but starred for RB Salzburg for three seasons before.
Whichever direction United decide to go, they’ll need to add a goalscorer up front.
Midfielder
United has had a lukewarm relationship with Paul Pogba for years, and despite early signs that that may change this season, it was very much status quo with Thomas Walker in charge. Pogba has had a lucrative offer from Manchester United on the table all season, so it seems likely that Pogba is looking for a move this summer. If that does indeed happen, United will need to find a replacement.
Perhaps the time is finally right for Manchester United to make a serious move for West Ham’s Declan Rice. West Ham has repeatedly insisted that Rice has a £100 million price tag, but that number may be higher with West Ham in the Champions League next season. Manchester United was also linked to Monaco’s Aurelién Tchouaméni during the winter transfer window, and he’s another player that United’s board would love to acquire. Perhaps an under-the-radar move could be for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong. de Jong, who has emerged as one of the top midfielders in Europe, could be available as Barcelona continues to struggle with its financial situation. As one of Barcelona’s most valuable assets, de Jong could be on the move this summer to alleviate some of the club’s financial strain. If he is going to move, a move to the European Champions could be attractive for the Dutch international.
Lille’s Renato Sanches could also be an option for United. Coming through the ranks at Benfica, Sanches was once considered a wonder kid of sorts, but his big move to Bayern Munich failed to materialize in glory amid poor performances and repeated injuries. That’s when Thomas Walker brought the midfielder to Lille and revitalized his career. Sanches was still injury-prone at Lille, but he regained his stock as a talented midfielder. Would Walker be interested in another reunion with Sanches? He’s still injury-prone, but United may not need to rely on him for as many games with the emergence of talents like Hannibal Mejbri.
And of course, United could go after the biggest target on the minds of Britain’s Big Six. Somewhat of a golden boy for Premier League hopefuls, United could capitalize on their Champions League victory to try and lure English 19-year-old, Jude Bellingham. Borussia Dortmund has insisted that Bellingham isn’t for sale this summer, but United did business with the German club last year for Jadon Sancho and they could use those relationships to try and pry Bellingham away this season. It may take a hefty fee, but this is exactly the type of player that the Manchester United board would love to have.
Center-back
Manchester United has spent over £170 million on center-backs over the past six seasons to bring in Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire, and Raphaël Varane. Despite that financial outlay, Thomas Walker is still not happy with his center-back options. United failed to adopt the style of play that Walker used to devastating effect at Lille in large part because of his lack of trust in his center-backs. Captain Harry Maguire seems assured of a move out of the club this summer after failing to earn Thomas Walker's trust in meaningful moments last season. Raphaël Varane started 43 games last season, but it was a lot of mixing and matching to find him a partner. Thomas Walker will want to handpick a partner for him this season.
When Harry Maguire was used, it was to play in the middle of a back three where his size could be a factor but where his lack of athleticism wasn’t going to hurt the team. With Varane as the skilled playmaker out of the back, it seems likely that United will look for a big, athletic center-back who can cover a lot of ground and still be a menace in the air. The name that we’ve heard most attached to United is Barcelona’s 23-year-old emerging talent, Ronald Araújo. Araújo will only have one year left on his contract, and with Barcelona’s current financial situation, they may have no choice but to cash in on Araújo before losing him for free next summer. If that is indeed United’s top choice, he would represent one of the brightest young talents at the position, who brings the size, athleticism, and distribution ability that every club would love to have.
A familiar theme in this run-down is that United could look to Walker’s past and bring in Sven Botman of Lille. Botman is big, and while he doesn’t have tremendous athleticism, he has played and knows the Thomas Walker defense. Manchester United have also been connected to RB Leipzig’s Joško Gvardiol, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan N’dicka, Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou, and Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix.
Projecting out a bit, United could also be interested in burgeoning talents like AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori or Sporting’s Gonçalo Inácio, but perhaps their smartest opportunity would be to sign free agent Antonio Rüdiger. Rüdiger is coming off three very good seasons for Chelsea, has the athleticism and size that Thomas Walker would like, is Premier League proven, and could immediately step in next to Raphaël Varane to form one of the top partnerships in Europe. A signing like Rüdiger would immediately shore up their defense and could unlock a new, higher level for Manchester United.
Elsewhere
Those three positions seem like they will be the priority for Manchester United this summer, but if the opportunities present themselves, they could look to upgrade elsewhere.
Manchester United saw very little production from their fullbacks last season, and they could look to address that. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a standout defensively, but they may want a fullback that can provide more going forward in games against less menacing opponents. Considering Diogo Dalot is entering the final season of his contract, now may be the time to find a replacement.
Similarly, on the left, United have solid options in Luke Shaw and Alex Telles, but neither is a world-class player, and they combined for one goal and two assists last season. United could use more from the position and adding a dynamic athlete on the outside could be a good move for United.
David De Gea has been in net at Old Trafford for over a decade now, but the club is coming to a crossroads with him. The battle between De Gea and Dean Henderson was decided this year, and Henderson will likely be on the move this summer, meaning United will need to bring in at least one goalkeeper, even if he is to be the backup to De Gea. However, if the club was feeling up to the task, United may look to find De Gea’s replacement. De Gea is entering the final year of his contract and is already the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world. Considering he doesn’t fit the modern style, United may be hesitant to blindly commit their future to him. That situation will remain one to watch this summer.
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