Inside Manchester United’s ‘building blocks’ transfer strategy
Manchester United have spent the summer trying to avoid the past as much as they’ve tried to fix the future.
Errors made in the transfer market have shaped much of the club’s strategy in the window. The aim above everything else has been to move the squad forward — but without the kinds of missteps that have previously set them back.
Some fans will argue that an unwillingness to spend big in a summer when Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have all spent £100 million or more on a single player represents a lack of ambition. CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox would say that a degree of caution is necessary given what’s happened before.
Why? Because Manchester United find it harder than most clubs to move on from recruitment mistakes.
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Manuel Ugarte is one example. The Uruguayan arrived at Old Trafford for a fee of more than £50 million in 2024 and after two underwhelming campaigns, he was available for transfer in this window. The club knew that to balance the books, they would need a bid of around £20 million — something that was unlikely given his recent form and wage demands.
The best they could hope for was to arrange a loan with a club willing to cover Ugarte’s salary. In the end, a serious knee injury at the World Cup ended any hopes of a move, and United will have Ugarte’s wages paid by the FIFA Club Protection Programme for players injured while on international duty.
However, the injury only kicks the issue down the road. Ugarte has a contract until June 2029, which means United will be left looking for another solution next summer and possibly beyond. It’s a problem that could potentially drag on for another three years, and it’s exactly the type of situation Berrada and Wilcox want to avoid.
Midfielder makeover
After revamping the forward line a year ago, the priority this summer was to fix the midfield.
United opted for three players with Premier League experience — Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba — for an overall sum of £155 million. Sources tell ESPN that the trio were considered cost-effective, low-risk deals, when set against the backdrop of a market which has seen midfielders Elliot Anderson (to Man City), Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham) and Enzo Fernández (to Man City) move for a combined £341 million.
United were interested in Anderson, but only at Forest’s initial £70 million valuation. They also looked at Tonali, but decided a large investment in a player who recently served a lengthy ban for breaching betting rules was too big a risk.
Budget considerations were a factor, too, particularly with so few squad players to offload. Manchester City have raised close to £350 million this summer. United, meanwhile, have brought in less than £50 million.
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There was an expectation that Barcelona would trigger their option for Marcus Rashford, and that money would come in for Joshua Zirkzee. However, Barça chose to sign Anthony Gordon to fill that wing position, and while talks with Fiorentina and Juventus for the Netherlands forward came to nothing, by the time Everton called late on deadline day, it was too late.
The club’s financial reality is that they cannot commit £300 million or £400 million in one window. Money was available to match Tottenham Hotspur‘s £85 million offer for Mateus Fernandes, a player high on United’s list of midfield targets. The club chose not to, in part, because Fernandes never indicated during talks that his preference was to move to Old Trafford. It was viewed as a red flag that couldn’t be ignored.
Berrada and Wilcox have put an emphasis on signing players who show they have a strong desire to play for United — like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo did. While Berrada and Wilcox got the players they wanted last summer, they’ve had to be flexible this time.
When a deal for Atalanta midfielder Éderson collapsed because of issues with his medical, talks were accelerated with Chelsea for Santos. Tielemans’ £35 million release clause was quickly triggered after the decision to back away from Fernandes.
In the days after Tielemans’ arrival, work was done on Myles Lewis-Skelly. But when Arsenal decided he was staying at the Emirates, it prompted United to pivot to Baleba. Brighton’s initial valuation of £120 million was eventually negotiated down to £70 million.
There have been other challenges.
Mamadou Sangare was a player the club monitored closely, with data analysis indicating his numbers for Lens last season were comparable to those of Fernandes at West Ham United. Manchester United, though, have struggled with a recent trend of agents preferring to move clients into the Premier League at midlevel clubs. That way, players get more regular minutes before a second — more lucrative — move to a top-six side in the future.
It was a path followed by Moisés Caicedo, who had one full season at Brighton & Hove Albion before joining Chelsea for £115 million. Sangare and his representatives opted to make the move to Brentford for around £40 million this summer. A good season there will see his value — both in terms of transfer fee and salary expectations — rocket in 2027.
No need to ‘win the window’
United’s priority next summer is the defense, sources tell ESPN.
Berrada and Wilcox were happy with the signings of Cunha, Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens last summer. No mistakes in that window allowed the club to stick to the plan of strengthening the midfield. No errors this time around should free up funds or center backs and fullbacks ahead of the 2027-28 campaign.
The phrase being used internally is “building blocks” — gradually improving the squad over time while avoiding the need to go back and fix mistakes that should already have been solved.
United accept that the window closed on Tuesday with the club failing to address their weakness at left back, sources tell ESPN. They could have signed David Raum from RB Leipzig, having been told all summer he was available. But signing a 28-year-old for around £30 million on a four- or five-year contract was viewed as potentially disruptive to the next stage of transfer business.
Lewis Hall is United’s primary target in that position, but with Newcastle United refusing to negotiate, any deal is on ice until next year. Had Hall been prioritised this summer, it’s unlikely there would have been money for Baleba.
United did consider short-term options to bridge the gap. They were offered Rayan Aït-Nouri by his representatives in the last week of the window, and were informed by Man City on deadline day that any deal must include an obligation to make the move permanent. United withdrew their interest once it became clear they would have to make a long-term commitment to reach an agreement.
The club know it’s not ideal, but the plan is not just to win one window. The aim is to have the squad in a position to make the signings they want next summer.
It’s a long-term approach that United hope will eventually pay off.