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Manchester United are one of the biggest sports teams in the world, but have been falling off due to poor transfer business over the last few years. This summer, United were predicted to do a lot of business in an attempt to rebuild towards former glory. That hasn’t been the case.
This offseason they have completed two transfers: Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Two transfers who no one argues or disagree with, but fans and pundits have all been predicting that at least more new transfers would have been necessary for a proper rebuild to take place. Two transfers just does not cut it.
On top of that, United needed to get out players that have been holding them back because of their lack of quality. Unfortunately for them, they extended contracts with players of that caliber such as Phil Jones and Ashley Young.
Will Manchester United make any more signings? Let’s take a look at their transfer business near the deadline from past summers.
Past Summer Transfer Windows
It is only worth looking at the transfer windows since Sir Alex Ferguson retired because there has been a significant drop off since then. Also, no other manager since Sir Alex has had as much influence on the roster. With that, we will take a look at the summer transfer windows near deadline day from 2013-2018. We will take a look at it within two weeks of deadline day for that particular window.
2013
Transfer Deadline Day was September 2nd.
- September 2nd: Marouane Fellaini – £27.5m
2014
Transfer Deadline Day was September 1st.
- August 20th: Marcos Rojo – £16m
- August 26th: Ángel Di María – £59.7m
- September 1st: Daley Blind – £13.8
- September 1st: Radamel Falcao – Loan
2015
Transfer Deadline Day was on September 1st.
- July 27th: Sergio Romero – Free
- September 1st: Anthony Martial – £36m
2016
Transfer Deadline Day was on September 1st.
- There were no transfers within two weeks of the deadline. The closest date was August 9th, approximately three weeks prior and it was Paul Pogba for £89m.
2017
Transfer Deadline Day was on September 1st.
- There were no transfers within two weeks of the deadline. The closest date was July 31st, approximately one month prior and it was Nemanja Matić for £40m.
2018
Transfer Deadline Day was on August 9th.
There were no transfers within two weeks of the deadline. The closest date was June 21st, approximately six weeks prior and it was Fred for £52m.
Review
To review this information, it shows that United have been trending away from making late signings, with no significant signings two weeks within the deadline for the last three summers. However, for the first three summers, there were seven signings in total. This makes it seven signings for six summers within two weeks of the deadline; roughly one per summer.
Current Rumors
United has been linked to several top players this summer, but how many are they truly in for? There has been several players who have been recurring as targets, and a couple that many believe will be official in the coming days. Some sources are more reliable than others, but until there is anything confirmed it is all speculation at this point.
Bruno Fernandes
It seems that talk about Bruno Fernandes being a done deal has been ongoing for most of the transfer window. With that said, momentum is swinging in favor of Fernandes, as many sources and outlets have come out saying there has been a fee agreed. The reason this seems to be closer to the truth than not is because there was a time when all talk had been dismissed, but in the past few days there has been multiple sources on this topic.
There are multiple different sources with multiple transfer pages with big followings posting about this, but the problem is the small inconsistencies. The price is different from both sources. It could be roughly either of those amounts, but it means that there isn’t a consistent and direct source for these rumors. With this many sources, however, there is a strong reason to believe that a deal is being discussed.
Harry Maguire
United have been linked with a multitude of centre backs this window, but none more so than Harry Maguire. It seemed that once there was a bit of interest and speculation, all of the sources came flooding with talks of Maguire to United. Most of them confirm that a bid was put in place and that a second bid could be inevitable.
Through multiple different sources, it shows the clear interest of Manchester United in Harry Maguire. These articles go on to say how he has been training in the preseason to be match ready for United. It explains how an original bid for Maguire was put in place, but was denied by Rodgers because he doesn’t believe that United will be able to pay the promised add-ons later. He wants more upfront, and if all is true, this puts the ball in Manchester United and Ed Woodward’s court.
Sean Longstaff
This is one of the most questionable names surrounding a move to Manchester United. This is because Steve Bruce, manager of Newcastle United, has made claims that Longstaff is not for sale. This has not stopped United’s pursuit, as multiple sources have been still linking Longstaff to them.
Clearly there have been talks between the two sides, but as it stands Newcastle seem to be holding firm. This could be a ploy to get the best possible deal for the young talent. With the state of Newcastle, it would make sense that they would want to hold onto their potential stars.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
The transfer of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic seemed to come out of nowhere in the last week. Since then, the deal has moved closer, but many believe a deal will only be done if Paul Pogba is sold to create room and revenue for Savic.
Savic is a high-valued prospect with Lazio asking for €90m for the midfielder. Paul Pogba has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for most of the summer, but nothing has come to realisation just yet. If Pogba were to leave, then Savic is pretty much a done deal for United. If Pogba stays, there is little reason to believe Savic will make a move.
What’s to come by Deadline Day?
Many of the outlets that have been delivering this transfer information could be considered questionable to say the least. Many of these sources have proven to be unreliable in the past or less reliable than other go-to sources. That being said, most sources are staying consistent to these four players being linked with a move to United. Most stories have been about the same. There is clear interest in these players from United and United have certainly placed bids for most of them if not all of them.
Prediction
Manchester United will make one more signing this summer with there being a possibility of a second. With the trend of United not making last-minute deals over the last three summers, they are overdue for one. The sources have been too active for there not to be another deal on the table. The one consistency through all the rumors has been the pursuit of Harry Maguire.
Manchester United are most likely to secure his signature over the rest featured here. The potential second signing could be any of the other three, but if there is a second signing with no one else sold it will be Bruno Fernandes. Unless Pogba is sold, then Savic will not be joining Manchester United. Longstaff seems to be staying at Newcastle with Steve Bruce standing his ground.
Featured Image: FotMob.com
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