This summer, Manchester United is undergoing a strong reform under Michael Carrick, with the goal of building a team that is competitive enough when returning to the Champions League arena.
New signings such as Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow have successively arrived at Old Trafford, while the club is also preparing to part ways with some more players before the transfer window closes.
Marcus Rashford is the most notable case. After a season playing for Barcelona on loan, the English striker may continue to be pursued by the Catalan team if Ferran Torres leaves Camp Nou to move to PSG.
Barcelona's sale of Torres may open up space in attack and create conditions for Rashford to return, although Carrick once affirmed that he is still considering this player in Man United's plans.
In defense, Jorge Salinas emerged as an investment option for the future. The 19-year-old left-back of Racing Santander is highly rated and may become Luke Shaw's successor. However, Man United will have to compete with Barcelona, while Racing Santander is only willing to negotiate if they receive enough release clause of 13.7 million pounds.
In the opposite direction, the "Red Devils" can create more space in the squad by letting Harry Amass, Dan Gore and Toby Collyer leave on loan or for sale. All three have not found a stable position in the first team and continuing to play regularly in another environment may help them develop better.
The midfield is still the area Carrick wants to complete. Manu Kone of Roma is being linked with Man United and may be a plan to help the team increase their competitive strength. The French international is said to be priced at around 51 million pounds, while Alex Scott and Carlos Baleba are also in the group of midfielders who have been linked with the "Red Devils".
The defense also needs to be strengthened, especially when Jhon Lucumi of Bologna is in sight. The Colombian center-back is said to want to move to a big club and has a price of about 21.4 million pounds, plus 2.6 million pounds in extra fees. Lucumi's ambition may help Man United gain an advantage over other opponents.
Joshua Zirkzee is again facing an uncertain future. The Dutch striker has not been able to win a regular starting spot since moving to Old Trafford from Bologna in 2024 and may return to Italy, with Juventus being mentioned as a potential destination. However, the fact that Man United currently only has Benjamin Sesko as a reliable choice for the center forward position may make Carrick not ready to let Zirkzee leave.
Overall, Man United still has a lot of work to do before the transfer window ends. Carrick is facing a balanced problem between adding suitable players to the new plan and purifying the squad.
If more deals are completed in defense, midfield and resolving the future of the group of players is no longer in the plan, Man United may enter the new season with a completely different face.
