Man United have massively fallen off grace and after the 4-0 loss ot Liverpool even Ralf Rangnick has admitted that the current squad will need a major overhaul in the summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the interim boss said: “The players have to give their very best no matter who the next manager will be, and if he’s announced in one or two or three weeks, I don’t think that this affects the current situation we’re in,
“But yes, of course, it’s important to know who will be the new manager, because to start the recruitment process, to find the best possible players only makes sense if you know who will be the manager and how does he want to play. There might be a couple of players – and I have already named those players to the board – that independent of formation, from style of football, and independent of a new manager, that could be of interest for a club like United.
“But in general, if you look at the size of the way the team needs to be rebuilt, I mean, it’s not enough to bring in three or four new players. It will be more, bearing in mind how many players will no longer be here with the contracts running out.”
Erik ten Hag is supposedly the next Manchester United manager and as per the Mirror’s David McDonnell, the new boss is going to be given a £200m transfer budget during the upcoming transfer window.
There’s no doubt that a host of players will be shown the door at the end of this season but the reporter has also named the first shortlist of possible transfer candidates that Man United will be looking at once their new manager is announced.
We take a look at who those players are and how it will affect other teams should Man United decide to move for them.
Harry Kane(wanted by Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrid):
The first and quite obvious name is of Harry Kane but already several big names are linked with the England international.
The likes of Chelsea, Man City are said to be keeping tabs on the players and even European giants like PSG or Real Madrid could come calling.
Signing Kane will not be an easy task because Fabrizio Romano has claimed this week that Antonio Conte is very much against selling his prime asset in the summer.
He wrote on Twitter: “No changes on Tottenham plans for Harry Kane. They want him to stay at all costs. It’s more than a priority for Conte: ‘ambition’ means keeping Harry Kane at the club and offer him a new deal.”
No changes on Tottenham plans for Harry Kane. They want him to stay at all costs. It’s more than a priority for Conte: ‘ambition’ means keeping Harry Kane at the club and offer him a new deal. ⚪️ #THFC
Huge work by Conte and Paratici to change the situation after last summer. https://t.co/2odbIT1jnF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 20, 2022
Man City are currently focusing on Erling Haaland so there’s a big possibility that Pep Guardiola is no longer interested in signing Kane. If this is the case then it will become a lot easier for all the other suitors.
Darwin Nunez(wanted by Arsenal):
The Benfica striker has become the talk of town in the previous few months and Arsenal reportedly want him to be the successor to Aubameyang.
Darwin Nunez can't stop scoring goals ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/kg5BHy4Asy
— GOAL (@goal) April 17, 2022
Manchester United are possibly looking at Nunez as the backup option to Harry Kane and it will make much more sense to splash money on a 22-year-old Nunez instead of spending £120-130 million on a 28-year-old Harry Kane.
As per the experts, Benfica will allow Darwin Nunez to leave for a fee of around £65 million, making him a very lucrative centre-forward option.
If Arsenal can manage to secure a Champions League spot for the upcoming season they will have a massive upper hand at signing the striker.
Declan Rice(wanted by Chelsea):
Rice is another one of the big-money targets who have been named on the Man United transfer list but signing him will also require a lot of hard work.
Chelsea are ferociously chasing him right now and since the Blues will definitely be in the Champions League next season they are very much the favourites to sign the midfielder.
Also, some experts have claimed that Declan Rice is inclined to go back to his boyhood club should be decide to leave West Ham United in the summer.
Rúben Neves(wanted by Arsenal):
Neves is someone Manchester United will look at if they miss out on Declan Rice but chances are ripe that United will prioritise signing Ruben Neves instead of the West Ham United man.
Talks in progress for Ruben Neves to Arsenal. The portuguese midfielder is still a main target for the Gunners. [@NicoSchira] #afc pic.twitter.com/aZATMSgWYs
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) April 12, 2022
Like Harry Kane, Declan Rice is also in the price bracket of around £130 million so it will be much more logical to go after a midfielder who is valued at around £40-50 million.
Arsenal have kept their eyes on Neves for the longest time and they will certainly go all out to sign him in the summer. The Gunners will not give up without a fight since Arteta has to replace Xhaka before the next season starts and this could lead to an intense transfer battle between them and Man United.