Man Utd to sign elite Bayern star and Ligue 1 tormentor as Ratcliffe draws up sensational five-man wish list

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has two strategies in mind as he looks to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, and the British billionaire could sign five top players including Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

Ratcliffe is now a part-owner of Man Utd, having bought a 25 per cent stake in the club from the Glazer family. As a Man Utd fan, he is determined to get the Red Devils back to where they belong both in the Premier League and in Europe.

However, Ratcliffe has plenty of work to do. Man Utd have fallen way behind the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent years.

Indeed, they currently sit sixth in the Premier League, 13 points behind leaders Liverpool. Plus, after being knocked out of both the Champions League and League Cup, their only hope of silverware this season is the FA Cup.

But Ratcliffe has a plan to turn Man Utd’s fortunes around and help them get back to the summit of English football, and it involves the blending of two different transfer strategies.

According to ESPN, Ratcliffe and Man Utd will target players who are entering the final year of their contracts this summer.

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Man Utd have more money to spend in the summer than they did during January, but resources will still be ‘tight’. As such, players who are facing big contract decisions will be hunted as they could be signed on the cheap.

A priority area for Ratcliffe is central midfield, and this is where Kimmich comes in. The report claims Man Utd are plotting an ambitious move for the German, who is considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Man Utd in for Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan David

Kimmich is in the middle of a contract stand-off with Bayern, with his current deal set to expire in summer 2025. Man Utd therefore feel they can bring him to England for less than his full valuation, which is £64m according to transfermarkt.

Man Utd could also head to Ligue 1 by signing two other players whose contracts are running down, in Lille goal machine Jonathan David and Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.

But that is not the only strategy Ratcliffe will use to greatly improve Erik ten Hag’s squad. As per a separate update from iNews, Man Utd are also hoping to future-proof the team by landing some of the Premier League’s rising stars who are considered ‘best in class’ in their age group.

Centre-back is a key area that must be bolstered and Man Utd’s top target for the position is Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton. The 21-year-old has also been linked with Real Madrid and Arsenal, but on Tuesday it emerged that Man Utd are ‘leading the race’ for him.

Antony’s days at right wing look numbered too, with Man Utd eyeing deadly Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise. It was recently revealed that the 22-year-old is happy to snub Chelsea for Man Utd as he grew up supporting the latter.

Olise battling with Alejandro Garnacho for a starting spot at right wing would leave no room for Antony in the squad, despite the Brazilian costing a huge £86m when joining from Ajax in August 2022.

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