Paul Pogba's contract is set to expire at the end of the season meaning that he can leave Manchester United on a free transfer and join whichever club he desires.
MEN Sport understands that the Frenchman is relaxed about the situation and will make any decision about his future when the season concludes, which could include moving away or even signing fresh terms with United.
Regardless of what Pogba does, United need a contingency plan with the possibility of him leaving in mind and will already be drawing up a list of options to replace the midfielder. However, when they replace him they need to separate the player from what they wanted him to do in the team and focus on the latter when considering targets.
Youri Tielemans has been linked with a move after reports stated that he would not sign an extension with Leicester City but he would likely cost a significant fee given his standing within the Premier League.
United need to start getting smarter with their transfer strategy and broadening their horizons to further than just the player who has his name in the headlines and this is something that hopefully Ralf Rangnick will look to solve in his proposed consultancy position once the season ends.
And they should start by looking at Fabian Ruiz.
Arsenal have been linked with the Spanish midfielder, who currently plies his trade for Napoli in Serie A, as an option to upgrade their midfield and allow them to control possession and the game's tempo - and this is exactly the sort of player United should be targeting.
Our colleagues at Mirror Football have reported that Ruiz could be available for a cut-price fee of £16m this summer due to his refusal to sign a new deal, which runs until the summer of 2023.
The midfielder has a pass completion of 89% this season, as per FBref.com, which is impressive when you consider he averages 78.24 passes per 90 minutes played. Scott McTominay and Fred both average fewer passes completed and also total passes, which means they would probably suffer if more weight was put on them in possession.
But can he make the step up into a more intense league? Of those 78.24 passes per 90 minutes played, just over 12 of those are completed under pressure, which ranks him alongside some of the best midfielders in the world. If he can transfer that to the Premier League, then United should have no issues.
Ruiz consistently moves the ball forward, with 5.59 progressive passes per 90 minutes played and 6.85 progressive carries but he also averages is his 3.39 shot-creating actions per game.
Of all the midfield options on the market in the summer, Ruiz represents one of the best-value-for-money buys United could make but Rangnick and the new manager will have to move quickly to avoid Arsenal strengthening and signing a player that they should really be in the market for.