Man Utd target €140m trio for summer MEGA deal

Robin Bairner

• 8 Feb 2024 06:43 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United have already earmarked some of the players they are set to move for in the summer transfer window, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group putting aside significant sums to complete deals.

Man Utd will adopt a different approach in the transfer market this summer, and while they plan to spend money, the idea is to do it smartly.

With that in mind, Ratcliffe’s group of recruiters, headed up by Sir Dave Brailsford, are looking at players whose contracts are expiring and are, therefore, set to leave for fees significantly smaller than they might otherwise pay. In particular, United will seek players going into the last year of their deal.

ESPN reports that the Red Devils have picked out three players in particular whose contracts expire in 2025 to chase.

Man Utd target Kimmich, Davies and Thuram

The highest profile of this trio is Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich. The versatile Germany international, who can play either in midfield or defence, promises to be a difficult target given that Manchester City are also interested in a player who has an Expected Transfer Value (ETV) of €55 million.

Alphonso Davies, also of Bayern, is being targeted as an upgrade to Luke Shaw at left-back. The Canada international has an ETV of €59m but is also attracting interest from Real Madrid, who are eager to bolster this area of their side.

Finally, Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram is a midfield talent who could add to Erik ten Hag’s options in the centre of the park. The France international has been courted by Liverpool in the past, but with Ratcliffe the owner of Nice as well as Man Utd, there should be few problems in brokering a deal at attractive terms for the Red Devils.

Thuram is the cheapest of these three players, with an ETV of just €27m.

It is in this way that Ratcliffe and Brailsford plan to strengthen Man Utd without spending astronomical fees.