“Big summer.”
Harry Maguire didn’t exactly mince his words this week. But let’s be honest, expensive summer might have been closer to the mark.
Manchester United are gearing up for a squad overhaul that could top £250million, with a midfield rebuild at the heart of it. And that’s before you even get to the small matter of who’ll actually be in the dugout come August.
We’re still more than two months out from the window officially opening, but behind the scenes at Carrington, the plans are already being drawn up. Central midfield is the priority. If 2025 was all about fixing the forward line, 2026 is about dominating the middle of the park. United want at least two new bodies in there and if Manuel Ugarte ends up being sold, don’t rule out a third.
But the midfield isn’t the only area crying out for attention.
Luke Shaw has started every Premier League game this season, which sounds impressive until you remember his track record with injuries. With a campaign that could push towards 60 games, relying on him is a gamble United can’t afford to take. A left back is very much on the shopping list.
Same story on the left wing. Alejandro Garnacho was sold last summer, Jadon Sancho will be released when his contract expires in June, and Marcus Rashford is likely to follow him out the door. That’s three lef wingers gone in the space of 12 months. Add it all up, and you’re looking at four or five new signings with a price tag that could easily hit £250million. Maybe more if they go all out for top targets like Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson or RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.
So how do they make it work?
Three factors could end up making all the difference.
Factor one: Champions League football
It’s the financial game changer. Return to Europe’s top table and you’re looking at a revenue boost north of £100million. Under Michael Carrick, United are on course to do just that, currently sat seven points clear of Chelsea in sixth. Get over the line, and suddenly the summer budget looks a whole lot healthier.
Factor two: wage bill surgery
INEOS have made their intentions clear, sign younger, pay lower basic wages. And this summer, the savings start rolling in.
Casemiro and Sancho will both depart. Rashford is expected to follow. Combined, that’s more than £750,000 a week coming off the books roughly £40million a year. That doesn’t just free up room for new contracts. It frees up cash that can be reinvested directly into transfer fees.
Factor three: player sales
United are already banking on some serious incomings.
Napoli are set to pay £38million for Rasmus Hojlund, with the Serie A champions cruising towards another Champions League qualification. Then there’s Rashford. Barcelona have an obligation to pay £26million to make his loan permanent and United officials are adamant there’s no room for renegotiation, despite murmurs in Spain suggesting the Catalans want to talk. If Barca walk away, United are confident someone else will meet the asking price.
Elsewhere, things get a bit murkier. Andre Onana’s loan at Trabzonspor has no option to buy, but the 29 year old’s United career looks dead in the water with Senne Lammens now established as No.1. Finding a buyer won’t be easy.
Joshua Zirkzee is expected to push for an exit after struggling for minutes, and Ugarte could also look elsewhere if game time doesn’t materialise.
Every deal United do for their fringe players will shape what they can do for the ones they actually want to keep.
Big summer? Absolutely. But to pull off the dream window, everything’s going to need to fall into place.
