Man United identify three summer transfer targets as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans shrewd signings

As part of the rebuilding phase, Manchester United are reportedly going to target players who are entering the final year of their contracts this summer.

Man Utd’s acquisition by Sir Jim Ratcliffe is about to receive Premier League approval. For almost £1.25 billion, he will buy a 25% share in the team and assume control of the football matters at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe’s presence was never going to help United’s January transfer ambitions since, like many of their Premier League competitors, they were concerned about their Financial Fair Play problems.

In a few years, Ratcliffe will want Manchester United to be a serious contender for the Premier League title, but they are far from there yet.

After taking over, one of Ratcliffe’s top goals will be to strengthen United’s recruitment strategy, given the team has been squandering a lot of cash lately.

Finances remain tight and targeting players approaching the end of their contracts is viewed as a good way of managing their summer spend, according to a report from ESPN.

It says: ‘It was one of the reasons Mason Mount became such an attractive prospect last summer with United told ahead of negotiations that he would not sign a new deal at Chelsea.

‘The west London club decided to facilitate Mount’s departure rather than risk losing the England midfielder for free a year later.

‘United are exploring a number of similar deals ahead of this summer with players such as Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan David and Khephren Thuram all set to be out of contract in 2025.

‘Manchester City are also among a host of other clubs to have shown an interest in Germany international Kimmich, who will enter the final year of his deal at Bayern Munich at the end of the season.’