Manchester United aim to complete their long-drawn squad overhaul across the next two transfer windows by having two quality players available for each position at the start of next season.
The MEN understands United are still in the market for a ready-made winger, a centre-back, a right-back and a defensive midfielder but the expectation is there will be no incomings in the January window.
United intend to have settled on their list of summer targets by the New Year and will only move for an agreed target if they become available next month.
Senior sources at United have described the January market as ‘fool’s gold’ and ‘driven by the desperation of the buyer more than the motivation of the seller’.
An agency source told the MEN the majority of Premier League clubs are planning for an uneventful winter window as they continue to reel from the side-effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Senior figures at United believe they are on course to reinforce the squad over the next two windows after the pandemic affected their market movement in the summer.
United have scouted Brighton centre-back Ben White and remain admirers of Real Madrid stalwart Raphael Varane and RB Leipzig enforcer Dayot Upamecano.
An approach for a high-class central defender next year could easily be justified as United want to sell Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, while Eric Bailly’s future is also in doubt as he is out of contract in 2022.
Boyhood fan Kieran Trippier would relish a move to United as he approaches the last 18 months of his Atletico Madrid contract. Bury-born Trippier is 30 but has started in all six of England’s internationals so far this season and United lack a credible competitor for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rates Declan Rice, who is another England regular and has assumed the captaincy at West Ham this season.
Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, reneged on his determination to move Pogba in January and is now planning on a summer departure, when the Frenchman will have a year left on his contract.
“I should have said summer,” Raiola said at the Golden Boy awards. “It’s hard for great players to move in January. We’ll see what happens in the summer. The world has changed a lot.”
In the winter window last season, United considered loaning in a midfielder from Spain amid interest in Marcos Llorente of Atletico Madrid until they reached a breakthrough with Sporting Lisbon for Bruno Fernandes.
United’s failure to prise Jadon Sancho in the summer subsequently led to the club exploring deals for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele and Ismaila Sarr of Watford before they concluded deals for teenagers Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo.
Diallo, 18, is due to link up with United in January, provided the club can obtain a work permit for the Ivory Coast-born winger, and Pellistri, also 18, could be integrated into the first-team squad in the New Year.
Odion Ighalo will return to Shanghai Shenhua once his year-long loan with United expires at the end of January and United sources said at the time of Edinson Cavani’s deadline day arrival in October it would spare them the need to replace Ighalo in January.
Solskjaer has intense competition in goal between David de Gea and Dean Henderson, deadline day signing Alex Telles is vying with Luke Shaw and United have six international midfielders to select from.
Cavani has replaced Anthony Martial as United’s centre forward in his three starts and Solskjaer can call upon Martial or Marcus Rashford on the left flank amid distrust in first signing Daniel James, limited to three Premier League starts this term.
United have prioritised outgoings in January but there is an acceptance some senior players will be difficult to sell due to their lowly status.
Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo are about to enter the last six months of their contract and Romero, 33, was omitted from the Premier League and Champions League squads, while Rojo was excluded from the latter.
United have one-year extensions available on the deals of Rojo and Romero but Rojo, 30, has not played for the club in over a year and Romero wanted to leave in the summer.
Phil Jones, 28, last appeared for United in January and has been sidelined through injury since June but is contracted to the club until 2023.
United have offered Timothy Fosu-Mensah a new contract but the 22-year-old right-back is considering his future.
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