Man United have already chosen their first new player for 2027, even before the transfer window has closed.
Manchester United have already made up their minds about their first signing for the 2027 transfer window after a quiet Deadline Day. While Manchester City made a huge splash by signing Enzo Fernandez for £125 million, and Aston Villa grabbed Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain for £47 million, United didn’t make any new signings on the final day.
Michael Carrick ended the window with four new players, focusing on strengthening the midfield by bringing in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Carlos Baleba for around £150 million, plus Karl Darlow on a free transfer from Leeds United. But other areas still need work—especially left-back. The Red Devils missed out on all their main targets there and even made a last-minute ask to Manchester City about Rayan Ait-Nouri, but that offer was quickly turned down.
Throughout the summer, United’s number one choice for left-back was Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall. The 21-year-old was seen as the perfect replacement for Luke Shaw, whose contract runs out in June 2027. Hall would have been great competition for Shaw, but Newcastle made it clear they weren’t interested in selling the England international.
There was a slim chance of a deal on deadline day, but reports say Newcastle wanted over £75 million just to think about it, and United weren’t willing to pay that much. Besides Hall and Ait-Nouri, United also looked at Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde, Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas, and Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen over the summer but didn’t make moves.
TEAMtalk reports that Hall is still United’s top target, and they fully plan to try again in 2027—either in January or the summer. Newcastle has Hall under contract until 2029 and seems set on keeping him by offering a big new deal.
Hall has started this season impressively for Newcastle under new boss Matthias Jaissle, helping the team earn a draw against Liverpool and a win over Tottenham. Jaissle’s support might convince Hall to stay long-term, but with United still interested, the battle for the young star is far from over.
When asked about Hall moving to Old Trafford, Jaissle laughed off the idea, saying, “No chance! No chance!” His support for Hall will probably only grow, making it tougher for United to get him—unless they’re ready to spend big next year.