Manchester United are one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League as the summer transfer window picks up pace.
United completed lots of important business on Tuesday with Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s £15million move to West Ham confirmed. His departure – which required United to fork out a sizable fee – has paved the way for the arrivals of Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt after the Bayern Munich defensive pair were announced on Tuesday evening in a £51.5m double deal.
Their arrivals will come just in time for the start of the season, which begins against Fulham on Friday night at Old Trafford. There is still much more work to be done, however, with a few more incomings and outgoings expected before the window closes on August 31.
Here Mirror Football takes a look over the latest headlines and gossip involving Erik ten Hag’s side.
United’s interest in Frenkie de Jong has been long standing and with two of his former Ajax team-mates arriving at Old Trafford, the rumours are back swirling. United have reportedly already seen a €50m (£42.9m) bid for De Jong rejected by Barcelona, but Nacional claim they remain keen.
Well, that interest is not reciprocated, with the Dutch midfielder excited about playing under his new manager this season. "Staying at Barca? Yes, I’m very happy in Barcelona with my family, for sure," De Jong said. "Hansi Flick wants me to be key. I talked to him. It was good."
Ten Hag is a huge fan of De Jong, who played under his management at Ajax, but it seems as though he won’t be able to get the entire band back together.
Wan-Bissaka’s exit was necessary for United, who needed to free up space in the squad for De Ligt and Mazraoui, but it’s clear that his presence will be missed among the squad. You only need to take one look at the comments underneath his parting message on Instagram to see how popular he is.
Jadon Sancho wrote: “My family! All the best brother!” Marcus Rashford added: “Good luck my bro”. Wan-Bissaka made 190 appearances over five years for the club and paid tribute to everyone who made his time there so memorable.
“To everyone associated with Manchester United, thank you. You’ve helped me fulfil so many dreams of mine & I leave the club with memories to last me a lifetime,” Wan-Bissaka wrote. “I’m so grateful for the love, help and support I’ve had from players & staff during the last 5 years and wish you all nothing but the best.”
Graeme Souness has cast doubt on De Ligt’s ability, suggesting he is too “lightweight” to succeed in the Premier League. De Ligt is arriving at United because Ten Hag wanted another Ajax reunion at Old Trafford, but former Liverpool captain Souness isn’t convinced.
“I’m doubtful about De Ligt, I’m sorry," he told talkSPORT. "When I look at him I see a lightweight centre-half. What you want from a centre-half first and foremost is to defend. It would appear that some coaches and managers think it’s all about playing out from the back."
De Ligt has become the second centre-back to arrive this summer, following the £58m capture of Leny Yoro from Lille. It comes after United allowed Raphael Varane to leave upon the expiry of his contract and sold Willy Kambwala to Villarreal for a fee which could reach £9.7m.