Manchester United's Transfer Strategy: Midfield Rebuild and Centre-Back Search
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spent the last two Mondays on Manchester United duty. The first, at Old Trafford for the Leeds United game, underlined the scale of the decisions coming. The second, at Carrington, felt very different. United had just won at Stamford Bridge under Michael Carrick and moved to the edge of Champions League qualification. The mood, and the maths, had shifted.
Champions League football changes everything. It fattens the balance sheet, widens the transfer menu and gives Ratcliffe and his football department more room to be bold. Carrick’s own future still needs resolving, but United believe they can push on with recruitment regardless, with Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell driving the strategy and feeding it all back to Ratcliffe.
Midfield rebuild at the heart of the plan
Midfield is the priority. United expect to bring in two players in that area, with the exact profiles still being calibrated around Kobbie Mainoo, who is close to signing a new deal. The club also want one midfielder to step up from the academy, with Tyler Fletcher and Jim Thwaites already getting a taste of first-team life.
One name that has never really gone away is Carlos Baleba. United broadly agreed personal terms with his camp last summer, only for Brighton & Hove Albion’s valuation to shut the door. Baleba’s season since then has been uneven: substituted in 15 Premier League games, hooked at half-time four times, and completing 90 minutes only three times. Yet one of those full games was Brighton’s 3-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday, when he impressed, including a key turnover on Robert Sanchez that teed up Jack Hinshelwood for a major chance.
United have tracked him throughout. Scouts followed Cameroon at AFCON with Baleba firmly on the list, and club analysts like his data: ground coverage, ball-winning, passing. Internally, there is a feeling last summer’s United interest turned his head and contributed to his dip at Brighton, alongside some injury niggles. His performances for Cameroon helped restore his confidence, and Brighton staff have backed him through the rough patches.
Even so, Baleba now sits in a lower tier of United’s midfield targets. The club will only move at what they consider the right price. A year ago, when his stock was soaring after two strong seasons, United were prepared to go to £75m. Brighton wanted more than £100m. Now United are thought to view a fee around £50m as realistic. Whether that tempts Tony Bloom, one of the hardest negotiators in the game, is another matter.
Elliot Anderson, though, is at the very top of United’s midfield list. His relentless, all-action style has caught the eye, but Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is believed to want up to £125m. Marinakis has already shown his resolve, refusing to budge on Morgan Gibbs-White last summer despite Tottenham trying to trigger his exit clause. Relegation for Forest would inevitably change the financial picture and, with it, Anderson’s price.
There is a complication. Anderson is thought to favour Manchester City if he leaves Forest. That, in turn, is tied to Rodri’s future. Some close observers doubt City will both extend Rodri on a lucrative new deal and spend over £100m on Anderson. City are exploring other midfield options, while Real Madrid have been floated as a possible destination for Rodri.
Aurelien Tchouameni, already at Madrid, has also been discussed in United’s internal meetings. The 26-year-old has been one of the more reliable performers at the Bernabeu this season, and there is no clarity on whether Madrid would even consider a sale, or whether Tchouameni wants a move. A contract extension in Spain feels at least as plausible as any transfer.
Adam Wharton is another admired at Old Trafford. At 22, his progressive passing and clarity on the ball stand out, and he has handled a heavy workload of 47 games for club and country impressively. Crystal Palace’s asking price is the snag. Chairman Steve Parish has a reputation as a difficult counterpart in negotiations, and United may decide the numbers simply don’t work.
A move for Sandro Tonali is viewed as beyond reach on several fronts. Matheus Fernandes (West Ham United), Alex Scott (Bournemouth) and Joao Gomes (Wolves) have all been watched, but United know they cannot afford to stack two £70m-plus midfielders on top of last summer’s heavy outlay and still address the rest of the squad.
Centre-back search and Van de Ven interest
Attention is also fixed on centre-back. Inside the club, there is genuine belief that Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro can grow into a partnership on the level of Arsenal’s Gabriel and William Saliba. That long-term optimism does not change the short-term reality: Champions League football will stretch the current group.
United want a dominant, left-footed defender. Heaven is edging towards that role, but doubts linger over Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez after injury-hit seasons. Harry Maguire, 33, has been excellent, yet cannot be expected to start every three days.
Micky Van de Ven is on the list. The 25-year-old discussed his career with Gary Neville in December and is expected to draw serious interest regardless of what happens to Tottenham Hotspur this season. His contract runs to 2029, protecting Spurs’ position, but relegation would inevitably smooth the exit route for some of their best assets.
Van de Ven’s campaign has been turbulent defensively, yet he has still scored seven goals in 40 games, with his assist for Brennan Johnson at Old Trafford in 2024 still sharp in United minds. His pace, ball-carrying and tackling would add a different dimension to United’s back line. Liverpool have monitored him before and could re-enter the race, while other major European clubs are also circling.
Sales, Ugarte and the Casemiro equation
To fund all of this, United must sell. Manuel Ugarte sits near the top of the outgoing list. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain in a £50.5m deal in 2024, he has never properly settled and is expected to be made available. Ratcliffe is understood to be clear: at 25, Ugarte should be moved on. That view hardened as he watched from the Old Trafford directors’ box against Leeds, where Ugarte started for the injured Mainoo and failed to convince.
Champions League revenue will set the ceiling on what United can do, but transfer income will define the details. Removing Casemiro’s wages is central. The plus-one year in his contract can still be triggered if he starts all remaining matches, which would restore his full £350,000-per-week salary with Champions League qualification. Yet player and club have an understanding: he will leave.
By going as a free agent, Casemiro gives up the right to an annual salary of £18.2m, but gains leverage with potential suitors. An MLS move is on the table, with Inter Miami – in a city he visits regularly – in talks.
Four big signings – and maybe more
United’s working plan is to make four major signings. Alongside two midfielders and a centre-back, they want an experienced striker and a left-back. Tyrell Malacia is expected to depart, and Luke Shaw will need more protection with midweek European fixtures back on the schedule.
Agents looking at United’s squad believe that still will not be enough. Their view is that United may need to go three players beyond their current numbers to cope with the demands of a Champions League season.
A left winger is also on the radar. Matheus Cunha has hit form in that role, and Patrick Dorgu is seen as more likely to operate there too, but the club are keeping their options open.
Ratcliffe has seen Old Trafford in full voice again and watched a patched-up side win at Stamford Bridge. Now comes the hard part: turning that surge of momentum into a squad built to live, not just visit, among Europe’s elite.
