Man Utd could have a problem in midfield beyond this summer, and reports claim that Jose Mourinho has his scouts working to find the solutions.
With Michael Carrick set to retire and Marouane Fellaini on course to become a free agent at the end of the season when his contract expires, that will leave the Red Devils light in that department.
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Mourinho can of course call upon Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Ander Herrera, but for a club looking to compete for major trophies on various fronts, that simply isn’t going to be enough quality and depth to manage so many games across a gruelling campaign.
In turn, according to the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd have put together a six-man transfer shortlist of midfield targets, consisting of Jorginho, Arturo Vidal, Marco Verratti, Jean-Michael Seri, Fred and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
That really is a collection to top midfielders, but an interesting and contrasting mix too in terms of what they can offer to the side and their age.
While Vidal would certainly add grit and a wealth of experience, United could opt to go for a younger option in Savic or Verratti, depending on what they’re looking to add to the squad, as both would bring technical quality and a bigger influence in building attacks and having an offensive impact.
Fred and Seri would add more physicality and real energy in the middle of the pitch, while Jorginho has shown he can dictate the tempo of games and boss things with possession for Napoli.
Naturally, price-tags and other factors will also come into play, but this undoubtedly has to be a priority for Man Utd if they are to lose two of their options in midfield this summer.
The Red Devils have fallen short of expectations this season with their early exit from the Champions League and an inability to match rivals Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
In turn, reinforcements are seemingly necessary this summer, and especially with players heading for the exit door in Carrick and Fellaini, the midfield has to be addressed with at least one signing to fill the void and improve the overall level of the side.