Manchester United’s Transfer Window So Far: What You Need To Know

There’s no getting away from the fact that Manchester United have had a poor transfer window so far. There is still the best part of five weeks to go before the window shuts but currently the Red Devils have pretty much done no business whatsoever.

One positive is that they have managed to tie down Dean Henderson to a new five-year contract, with the option to extend for a further season. There was talk of interest from Chelsea in the 23-year-old earlier this summer but the speculation has been firmly put to bet with this new deal.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is clearly going to let Henderson and David De Gea fight it out for the number one spot, which would suggest that Sergio Romero could be leaving. The Argentine has been a solid backup over the last five years, but the likes of Leeds, Everton and even Chelsea have been mentioned as possible suitors for the veteran shot-stopper.

United are also certainly looking at signing a left-footed centre-back. They reportedly made a late move for Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes and they were interested in Nathan Ake before he joined Manchester City. The main target at the moment, though, appears to be Benoit Badiashile, with reports in France claiming Monaco have rejected an opening bid for the teenager.

The Manchester club have been looking at fullbacks too but the links have been fewer and far between. Competition for Luke Shaw at left-back has been mooted, with Ben Chilwell reportedly an option before he signed for Chelsea.

Bayern Munich’s David Alaba has been mentioned as a potential target more recently, although it seems Bayern are still trying to keep the 28-year-old, with the Austrian closing in on the final twelve months of his contract at the Allianz Arena.

There could also be some potential departures at the back. Diogo Dalot’s lack of game time under Solskjaer has prompted speculation about his future, with Paris Saint-Germain said to be interested in the Portuguese defender. Chris Smalling’s permanent switch to Roma has been protracted and there are now doubts over whether the centre-back will leave Old Trafford this summer.

The main focus of United’s summer spending plans, though, is Jadon Sancho. The current situation does not look that promising if you are a Red Devils’ supporter. Borussia Dortmund’s €120m (£108m) asking price is proving a major obstacle in negotiations.

However, the German club’s refusal to compromise on their valuation is not the only problem. Sancho’s wages are also believed to be an issue while United are having some trouble with third party agents demanding fees as intermediaries.

It has led to a whole host of potential alternatives being linked to moves to Old Trafford over the past few weeks. The two most heavily mentioned are Juventus’s Douglas Costa and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman but there a number of other names.

Fiorentina’s Federico Chiesa, Roma’s Justin Kluivert and Juventus’s Paulo Dybala have been singled out in the Italian press, while the likes of Real Madrid pair Vinicius Jnr and Rodrygo, as well as Barcelona duo Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele have been cited in the Spanish media.

The main trend throughout the summer, though, is the lack of activity. The slothlike manner of United’s movement in the market should be a major concern for United fans.