Amorim urges Man Utd to splurge £66m on stellar midfield recruit with three transfer musts identified

Manchester United are reportedly ready to make Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton their top summer target to bolster their midfield this summer – and the two players Ruben Amorim plans to sacrifice to help finance a move have also come to light.

It’s been a season of struggle so far for Manchester United who have flip-flopped between the sublime and the ridiculous throughout the campaign. While a win at Manchester City and a draw at title-chasing Liverpool have shown what they are capable of, woeful performances in losing at Wolves and at home to the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and Palace, have illustrated the huge task Amorim has on his hands.

While the squad he inherited at Old Trafford is among the most expensively assembled in the Premier League, it is also wholly unsuitable to playing the 3-4-2-1 formation that Amorim prefers and that brought him so much success at Sporting CP.

As a result, a major summer overhaul is on the cards with several unwanted stars set to be shown the door, or moved on at the end of their contracts. Furthermore, some big-name players – such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – could be sacrificed to free up some much-needed transfer funds and alleviate the financial boundaries currently placed on the club.

And to help spark his formation to life and to kickstart a bright new era at Old Trafford, Amorim is reported to have made it his priority to bolster three positions this summer, with a new right-sided wing-back, at least one midfielder and a new No.9 his targets.

To that end, reports on Saturday morning have detailed the right wing-back Amorim has set his heart on, while the Portuguese has also seemingly identified the big-name striker he now wants to lead the line next season.

In terms of a new midfield recruit, though, we revealed at the start of this month how the player deemed most suitable and the player they were most keen on, is Crystal Palace star Wharton.

And while the 21-year-old has suffered from injury this season and limited him to just 13 appearances in all competitions – that has not stopped a number of big-name sides, including United, from identifying the once-capped England star as a top target for the summer window.

Now Spanish outlet Fichajes claims United are ready to take their interest in Wharton to the next level and are willing to spend as much as £66.3m (€80m, $83.8m) to prise the player away from Selhurst Park.

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Man Utd plan to wheel and deal this summer

Funding a move for Wharton will not be easy for United, though the United boss is understood to be keen to put the focus on quality ahead of quantity this summer, landing players he feels most suited to his system first and foremost and then building from there.

And while prospective deals for their three top targets in Wharton, Geovany Quenda and Victor Osimhen could set them back close to a combined £200m, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS hope to claw back some much-needed money by further tightening their grip on United’s outgoings.

To that end, Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans will all be allowed to leave at the end of their contracts. The club also expect to bank money from Chelsea for the permanent sale of Jadon Sancho, while they will hope both Antony and Marcus Rashford continue to shine during loan spells away to help grease the wheels for their summer departures.

Brazil star Antony has shone at Real Betis and while they don’t have an option to make the move permanent, United will hope his performances can attract a new home for the player next season.

INEOS will also make it clear that Casemiro will be allowed to leave for a cut-price fee. The Brazilian remains contracted to summer 2026, though Ratcliffe wants to offload him this summer and rid the club of his draining £350,000 wages. While his salary remains the highest at Old Trafford, the player’s performances have dipped considerably over the last 18 months after his very obvious struggles with the physicality needed in the Premier League.

The exits of all those aforementioned players could spare some £100m in annual saved wages alone – and that’s before any transfer incomings are considered. As stated, either Mainoo or Garnacho could also be sacrificed if tempting offers come in for either. Both players – super-talented in their own right – have struggled to find their best form – or positions – in Amorim’s system.

Latest Man Utd transfer news: Stars of Bayern, RB Leipzig targeted

Meanwhile, United are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, with a report revealing the Red Devils’ clever plan to use a big-name star as a makeweight in the deal.

Elsewhere, German journalist Christian Falk has reported that United are interested in signing RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba  -and could try to gazump Real Madrid in the race for the centre-half’s signature this summer.

And finally, with funds likely to be tight at Old Trafford this summer, we have identified 10 stars whose deals are due to expire in summer 2026 and could well emerge on Amorim’s radar as cut-price additions.

Wharton’s stats for both Blackburn and Palace so far