What Man United’s January transfer window could look like with investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Man United News And Transfer News

6

For many, part of the fun of being a Manchester United supporter has always been to immerse oneself in the intrigue and drama of the transfer market. Following United’s pursuit of big names and trying to figure out which stories are real and which are not has led to millions of hours spent debating the issue in the pub and on internet forums.

So when the owners have literally run out of money and their credit limit has been reached, what do we have to look forward to as the clock ticks down to the next window? An incompetent scramble for a loan player culminating in another Odion Ighalo or Wout Weghorst?

Well, The Sun have offered us a ray of hope. According to the outlet, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose 25% investment in the club is set to be finalised any day now, is going to provide a war chest for the January window.

They do not say how much this will be. The article states that his 25% investment in the club will “free up funds” for transfers, and this does not make sense in itself. One person buying shares of another does not free up funds for transfers in the same way that someone buying a car off someone else does not free up funds for a new engine or a respray. It simply means that the ownership has changed.

Nonetheless, several reports from arguably more reliable sources have claimed that Sir Jim is going to invest an initial £245 million in upgrading Old Trafford, so it is certainly possible that he will also invest a certain figure into the transfer budget. After all, getting into the Champions League will be more crucial than ever this season, due to the new and more lucrative format starting in 2024/25, and any sensible owner would know United desperately need to strengthen to achieve that goal.

And that small chink of light allows us fans to resurrect our annual ritual of speculating on who those new signings might be.

The report in The Sun claims that the club will be pursuing a “full-back and a winger.” However, a centre forward must also be high on the list, with Anthony Martial likely to be leaving and Rasmus Hojlund desperately needing some backup.

Also known to be high on the shopping list is a centre back, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano consistently naming Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, Sporting’s Gonçalo Inacio, Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Benfica’s Andre Silva as the names on the shortlist.

Todibo is widely touted as the top target and plays for one of Sir Jim’s other clubs, Nice, which may or may not smooth the way in terms of negotiations.

However, with Harry Maguire re-finding form and Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof also right-footed, United could do well to go for a left-footer like Inacio, who has a €60 million (£52m) release clause. Of course, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw should be back by January, but all the same, it would be a wise move.

As for a striker, the name bandied about by the press so far has been FC Porto’s Mehdi Taremi, but, let’s be honest, this is because there is no budget for a bigger name. Taremi would certainly be a better option than Weghorst was last season and probably better than Martial on current form, but he would very much be a backup and at 31 years of age, a relatively short-term one at that.

United seem to think they can get Taremi for around €10 million but the Portuguese press have consistently said that Porto would be looking for more than €20 million for the Iranian and this figure could potentially rise further if they were to sell him half way through the season. If Ratcliffe was not involved, this one would have all the makings of a frustrating and ultimately botched negotiation by John Murtough and co. in January for a player who really will do little to improve the United side.

But if Sir Jim is providing a war chest, United can aim higher. One player who will almost certainly be up for grabs in January is Brentford’s Ivan Toney. Brentford are hoping for £100 million for the Englishman, whose 8-month ban for gambling ends on January 16th. There will be competition, but a proven Premier League goalscorer, hungry and fresh from an extended spell on the sidelines, really could be a game-changer this season as well as a long-term fix.

Another possible name is Benjamin Sesko, who United were linked with before he moved from Salzburg to Leipzig in one of those cheeky internal Red Bull moves. A price tag of €40 million has been mooted. Sesko would not be plug-and-play like Toney but is another diamond in the rough like Hojlund who at 20 years of age has masses of potential to develop into a world star.

And if Sir Jim really wants to come in all guns blazing, there is also the (albeit, slim) possibility of snagging one of the world’s best strikers, Victor Osimhen. Untouchable last summer, the Nigerian has since become unsettled at Napoli and has been dropping big hints about a desire to play in the Premier League, name dropping United and Chelsea along the way. It’s a long shot and would definitely involve an eye-watering figure, but what a statement it would make from Ratcliffe if he could pull it off.

Perhaps even further into the realms of fantasy is Kylian Mbappe. He looked 100% Real Madrid bound but recent reports claim los Blancos have changed their mind on him. PSG could get some real money back if they were to sell him in January rather than lose him for free in June. The player himself would surely take some persuading to join United in their current situation, but with Real off the table, surely only the Premier League can offer him top flight football with top flight wages.

Of course, all this could be pie in the sky and we are getting carried away because of a couple of sentences from The Sun. But stranger things have happened and wouldn’t it just be incredible to see United back at the negotiating table with the kind of clout they used to have? Sir Jim Ratcliffe has the power to make that dream a reality.