Sancho the top target as Man Utd transfer budget gives Solskjaer dilemma

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Man Utd TEAMtalk

Manchester United will give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer up to £150m to spend in the upcoming transfer window, according to reports.

It’s set to be a key transfer window for United, who are looking to close the gap with rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

According to ESPN, United’s owners, the Glazer family, will be backing Solskjaer in the summer. The Red Devils boss will have between £100m and £150m to spend.

That could be problematic, however, as signing their main target would take up most of that money. Jadon Sancho tops Solskjaer’s wishlist, but Borussia Dortmund will not let him go for less than £120m.

In the current climate, United would be hesitant to spend a nine-figure sum on a single player. Indeed, recent reports claimed that United transfer chief Ed Woodward was readying a take-it-or-leave-it offer of £80m for Sancho.

If Dortmund refuse to go that low, even though it would guarantee them a massive profit, United have some alternatives.

It emerged earlier this week that United are considering Kingsley Coman, for example. The winger could leave Bayern Munich on loan or on a permanent basis.

The Express add that Jack Grealish remains an option for United in midfield – even if Paul Pogba stays. Grealish has starred for a struggling Aston Villa side this season, and has admitted he is unsure what the future will hold for him.

While it was previously thought United would only move for Grealish if Pogba left, that appears to have now changed. In fact, the French midfielder could even sign a major new contract at Old Trafford.

UNITED HAVE FOUR-MAN SHORTLIST FOR DEFENCE

Solskjaer is also keeping tabs on a number of highly-rated defenders. If they cannot beat Man City to the signature of Nathan Ake, United have a three-man shortlist for Harry Maguire’s ideal centre-back partner.

ESPN add that United are interested in Tyrone Mings from Aston Villa, Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, or AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli.

With United happy to let Chris Smalling and Phil Jones go, they may need extra cover. No-one has established themselves as a definite first-choice partner for Maguire yet, though either of the four would surely fill that role.

Solskjaer would prefer a left-footed player to complement Maguire. All of the above four, expect Koulibaly, meet that criteria – although the Napoli man is used to playing on the left of a centre-back pairing.

Certain pundits have claimed that United still have lots of areas they need to improve. Hence, if he has any funds remaining, Solskjaer may look to add depth to his squad.