Man Utd is one of the top teams fighting to sign a £100m star in a tough three-club Premier League transfer battle.
Manchester United are gearing up for a tough summer transfer race against Arsenal and Manchester City for a highly rated Premier League star.
Michael Carrick, who became United’s head coach after leading the team to third place and Champions League qualification as interim boss in January, has already called this summer’s transfer window the “most important of all time.”
Carrick, along with United’s top figures—CEO Omar Berrada, Director of Football Jason Wilcox, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe—are eager to make this summer’s signings just as successful as last year’s. Berrada mentioned they want to follow the “template” set in the summer of 2025.
Last summer, United signed Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, all of whom played key roles in the 2025/26 season. Now, with United competing in four tournaments—the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup—they want to strengthen both the quality and depth of their squad.
United are linked with several players, including Premier League stars Morgan Rogers and Iliman Ndiaye. They’ve already agreed to bring in Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Atalanta for £35 million, with the 26-year-old expected to sign a four-year deal plus an option for another year.
Reports suggest United want to sign two midfielders, a left winger, a left-back, and possibly a striker and a center-back.
One name catching attention is Newcastle and Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali. According to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, United are among the frontrunners to sign him this summer, although Newcastle have set a high price of nearly £100 million and won’t let him go easily.
Tonali, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in 2023 and is under contract until 2028, has been crucial under Eddie Howe, scoring 10 goals and providing 10 assists. He also helped Newcastle win the 2025 Carabao Cup.
Arsenal and Manchester City are interested too, but City are focusing on Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson after a first bid for Tonali was turned down.
Earlier this year, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso said that joining one of the Premier League’s top six clubs was Tonali’s dream from the moment he moved to England. He told Calcio e Finanza, “That was the goal from the start—to help make him a star player. I think he’s one of the most valuable Italian footballers in the world.”