Manchester United will rapidly up the ante in the transfer market over the next seven to 10 days with the club expected to make the signing of Joshua Zirkzee their first of a hugely-productive summer, but with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth also agreeing on six more deals.
The Red Devils suffered an indifferent 2023/24 campaign, crashing and burning in the Champions League, before finishing in the unacceptably-low position of eighth in the Premier League. However, they did salvage some very sizeable wreckage from their season by winning the FA Cup, with the victory at Wembley effectively sparing Erik ten Hag from the Manchester United sack.
With Ten Hag also assembling a crack team of specialists behind the scenes, including sporting director Ashworth, the club will now set about seriously strengthening their squad in what could prove the most transformative of summers for the north-west giants.
Ratcliffe has already shown he is not afraid of tough decisions, opting against renewing the contract of £340,000 a week defender Raphael Varane, while also showing a willingness to bid farewell to other high-earning, yet under-performing stars.
Man Utd transfers: De Ligt and Zirkzee deals closing in
To kick things off, United are working relentlessly behind the scenes to bring in two Dutch stars in defender Matthijs De Ligt and striker Joshua Zirkzee.
Finalising both transfers has had to wait until the Netherlands’ involvement at Euro 2024, with the competition coming to an end in six days time, one way or another. Ronald Koeman’s side face a semi-final showdown with England in Dortmund on Wednesday night.
In the case of De Ligt, United still have to agree on terms with Bayern Munich. But with the Germans likely to accept a fee in the region of €60m (£50.7m), striking a deal is not expected to be difficult. De Ligt, whose move to Old Trafford has sparked strong protests, is also understood to have signalled his willingness to negotiate a salary drop from his current £244,000 a week package.
Ashworth, Ratcliffe to know first seven Man Utd deals
And with the player set to earn a deal worth £100,000 a week over an initial four years, United should have no issues finalising that deal soon with the 42-goal striker well placed to become their first addition of the summer window.
In addition to those two arrivals, Ashworth and Ratcliffe plan to get to work on some other new arrivals. And according to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils cannot yet be discounted from the race to sign Leny Yoro, despite the Lille teenager seemingly favouring a move to Real Madrid.
Furthermore, United will also soon select a new midfielder with the club strongly on the trail of Joao Neves and having seen two bids already turned down. However, the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Amadou Onana and Adrien Rabiot represent other avenues for the club to explore.
