Man Utd to hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new contract & up to four new signings
Manchester United are expected to hand manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new three-year contract and support the Norwegian with up to four new signings this summer.
United finished the 2020/21 without a trophy following defeat by Villarreal in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, but Solskjaer has overseen a general improvement and has been working on an ongoing squad rebuild since 2019 that is not yet complete.
Solskjaer’s current contract at Old Trafford is due to expire in 2022, but the Daily Telegraph writes that a new three-year extension is in the offing to allow the legendary former player to continue his project. Such a deal would give him added security until 2025, while it was previously reported in March that any new contract could come with a pay rise to a salary of £9m per season.
Speaking passionately after the Europa League final defeat, Marcus Rashford insisted that that the players still believe in Solskjaer and what he is trying to do.
"When Ole came in there was a process and the players believe in this process. This isn’t the end of the process, Part of the process is having ups and having downs. Just because we’ve lost [the final], I promise the fans we won’t give up," Rashford explained.
It has been well established that United, whose poor squad depth has been exposed at times over the last 12 months, need new signings in targeted key positions in order to better compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
A right winger, striker and centre-back have long been the three primary positions identified, but a central midfielder is of growing importance and the Telegraph specifically notes that United are interested in a ‘young’ one. That list potentially makes it up to four new summer signings.
Jadon Sancho is the long established main target for the right flank, with 90min revealing that United are hopeful last summer’s gamble of refusing to meet Borussia Dortmund’s asking price will pay off in the form of a cheaper deal. They now want to agree a £75m deal with the Bundesliga side, with the package consisting of a £60m fixed transfer fee topped up by £15m in add-ons.
Erling Haaland has long been United’s ideal choice up front, while Harry Kane is ready to leave Spurs. Either, however, would be extraordinarily expensive.
At the back, Pau Torres and Jules Kounde have been identified as options. Alternatively, Raphael Varane is increasingly expected to leave Real Madrid and, at still just 28, could provide a rare opportunity to land an established world class centre-back at a peak age.
In midfield, 90min has reported on United’s interest in both West Ham talent Declan Rice, 22, and Wolves star Ruben Neves, 24, in recent weeks. Either would represent a long-term investment with a proven Premier League record and the potential to still develop further.
United have been hugely impressed by Rice’s progression this season and potentially have a bargaining tool in the shape of Jesse Lingard, who will go down as one of the greatest loan signings in Premier League history following his January move to the London Stadium.
Wolves, meanwhile, are undergoing a period of change and will need to raise cash if they are to inject fresh blood into the squad. That means a handful of saleable assets could be let go and the club would not stand in Neves’ way should an offer meet his £30m-£35m valuation.
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