Mason Mount is a Manchester United player but the summer business at Old Trafford is far from complete.
At least England midfielder Mount, who cost them £60million to buy from Chelsea, will gain a full pre-season under Erik ten Hag with United’s first friendly – against Leeds United in Oslo – coming up next week.
Other arrivals probably won’t be so lucky with United’s manager still hoping to strengthen with a new centre forward and goalkeeper as his £120m budget is stretched to the limit.
There’s also the process of shifting a lot of deadwood from the squad, raising some much-needed additional funds.
Mail Sport takes a closer look at what happens next at United.
Manchester United have completed the £60million signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea
Erik ten Hag has one new player through the door but there is still plenty to do this summer
SEARCH FOR A NEW GOALKEEPER
United’s No 1 for the past 12 years, David de Gea, is now a free agent after his contract was allowed to expire without a new agreement last week.
They could yet re-sign the Spaniard but De Gea would be on a reduced salary and not guaranteed to be Ten Hag’s No 1. Inevitably, there are reports of lucrative offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Ten Hag certainly has his reservations over De Gea, only enhanced by a number of high-profile mistakes last season, and the Dutchman ideally wants a keeper more comfortable with the ball at their feet.
On Wednesday morning, Mail Sport reported United’s pursuit of Inter Milan’s Andre Onana had stepped up with a verbal proposal of £34m plus add-ons made.
Ten Hag knows Onana well from their time working together at Ajax though Inter’s asking price is £45m, which would further erode United’s budget.
Brighton’s Robert Sanchez is a cheaper alternative at £30m, while Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp could be fall-back options.
If United have to pay the full £45m for Onana, that would take their summer spending to £105m and Ten Hag only has a kitty of about £120m before player sales.
It explains the need to haggle over every million but, equally, it would be advantageous to have a new keeper in situ for as many of the pre-season games as possible to build an understanding with the defensive line.
Talks between United and Inter Milan over goalkeeper Andre Onana are ongoing
Manchester United’s goalkeeping situation is up in the air after long-term No 1 David de Gea (pictured on the right) was allowed to let his contract run down and expire
Brighton’s Robert Sanchez is a target for Man United as they look to replace De Gea
A MUCH-NEEDED STRIKER
Signing a new striker was the No 1 priority for United at the beginning of the summer after they relied heavily on Marcus Rashford’s goals last season.
But it soon became apparent that expensive centre forwards such as Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen – both valued north of £100m – would be out of the question.
United surely need to sign someone, however, or face the same difficulties with firepower as last term, when they scored just 58 league goals.
Mail Sport reported on Monday there is optimism a new deal for Rashford is close, while talks are continuing over main targets Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta and Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.
Ten Hag wants to have his new striker in place for pre-season training and these two options are more within United’s price bracket.
Tottenham star Harry Kane is beyond United’s budget for this summer as they hunt a striker
Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund (left) and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani (right) are cheaper striker options for Erik ten Hag
Dane Hojlund, 20, scored nine league goals in 32 games as Atalanta finished fifth in Serie A and would be regarded as a promising option for the long-term.
Kolo Muani netted 23 times, also contributing 17 assists, in all competitions for Frankfurt, suggesting he could be ready to perform well in the Premier League.
Although cheaper than Kane and Osimhen, both are likely to break the budget, making it even more imperative to offload existing players and stay within those Profitability and Sustainability rules.
SHIFTING THE DEADWOOD
United will listen to offers for up to 13 of their players this summer in the hope of raising £100m to offset their expenditure.
Not all 13 are going to leave because that would leave Ten Hag short in his squad but some of them certainly will do.
Brazilian midfielder Fred, who has been linked to Fulham, is valued at around £20m, the same as the injury-stricken Donny van de Beek and young winger Anthony Elanga.
Unwanted defenders Alex Telles, Eric Bailly and Brandon Williams are likely to be moved on.
United will also listen to offers of £40m for captain Harry Maguire and midfielder Scott McTominay, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson could complete a permanent move to Nottingham Forest after his loan spell there.
United captain Harry Maguire is one of 13 players the club will listen to offers for this summer
Jadon Sancho, signed for £73m just two years ago, could also be on his way out of United
Even Jadon Sancho, signed for £73m just two years ago, could be sold if the right offer came in following an underwhelming start to life at United.
Anthony Martial, who was expected to leave a year ago, is another in that category.
So far, the only ones out of the exit door are those out of contract – De Gea, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe – plus Utrecht-bound youngster Zidane Iqbal, but it’s a matter of time before more follow them.
It remains to be seen whether Mason Greenwood will be part of Ten Hag’s plans for the upcoming season. The continued pursuit of striker targets suggests he won’t be.
Greenwood has not played or trained with United for 17 months – and an internal probe is ongoing even after being found not guilty of rape and assault charges
TAKEOVER SAGA DRAGS ON
Despite Rio Ferdinand teasing a major update on Tuesday, we are still awaiting any concrete news on the United takeover.
A bit of clarity would be welcomed by Ten Hag and everyone at Old Trafford before the new season starts but the Glazers continue to drag their heels over the £6billion deal.
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe are going head-to-head for control of United – both submitting multiple bids and appearing to be in pole position at different times.
While Qatar are seeking to completely buy the Glazers out, ending their 18-year involvement, Ratcliffe’s deal would see the unpopular Americans retain a stake, to the fury of fans.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) and Qatari Sheikh Jassim (right) are the two front-runners in the race and have already submitted multiple bids to take ownership of the club
It isn’t as if a takeover will change Ten Hag’s budget this summer because United have to comply with Financial Fair Play rules, but it’s a big distraction that has rumbled on now since November.
The future direction and ambition of the whole club is at stake and the glacial pace of progress must be frustrating for the manager.
SOME ACTUAL ACTION
The first United players will return in training on Thursday and they have eight matches to play in under a month before their Premier League opener at home to Wolves on August 14.
So there will be plenty to keep Ten Hag occupied in addition to transfer deals in the weeks ahead.
They travel to Oslo to play rivals Leeds United on July 12 before a game against Lyon at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on July 19.
United will then jet off to the United States for a four-stop tour that sees them play Arsenal in New York, Wrexham in San Diego, Real Madrid in Houston and Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.
They’ll round pre-season off with two friendlies over the weekend of August 5/6 – Lens at Old Trafford on the Saturday, then Athletic Bilbao in Dublin on the Sunday.
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