United’s financial predicament has forced INEOS to abandon marquee plans, fans will be bitterly disappointed – Sky

Manchester United had entered the summer window with plans to revamp their midfield to compensate for the loss of Casemiro and the expected sale of Manuel Ugarte. Before leaving, the Brazilian recommended INEOS to sign Ederson from Atalanta, and while the Red Devils agreed a deal, the World Cup star ultimately failed his medical. It was back to the drawing board for the Old Trafford side, but they pulled off deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, with the fees paid for both pleasing the club’s co-owners. The former Chelsea ace is seen as Casemiro’s eventual successor in the Brazilian national team, while the Belgian is a proper deep-lying playmaker — a profile United have lacked in recent seasons. United still need a defensive midfielder However, they still need that physical specimen to sit in front of the backline, with Carlos Baleba, Manu Kone, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga among the marquee names being looked at. The 20-time English league champions had planned to move Ugarte on, and use those funds to sign that third midfielder. But the Uruguayan’s injury has put paid to those hopes. As a result, Sky Sports have now reported that United are unlikely to spend big on their third and final midfield signing, having already utilised close to £85 million to sign Santos and Tielemans. “Manchester United want to sign a third midfielder this summer in addition to their new signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Funds are tight at the moment “Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba continue to be among the long-term targets United have been considering. “However, Sky Sports News understands any move for a third midfielder is unlikely to be for a large fee, having already secured the signings of Santos and Tielemans for a combined total of around £85m. “With Manuel Ugarte injured for the foreseeable future with a knee injury and Casemiro’s summer departure, it is a position United remain short in if they are to compete on all fronts with Champions League football back at Old Trafford this season.” INEOS have pulled off major surprises so far this window, so fans should not rule anything out at this stage. Player sales could open up a window But it is clear that United need to focus on player sales now, with Marcus Rashford the most likely to be sold this window. However, in order to fund more arrivals, there could be more than a handful of surprise departures with Noussair Mazraoui and Lisandro Martinez among the names linked with an exit. Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25