It’s going to be a huge summer for Man United one way or the other, whether they are taken over or not.
Erik ten Hag’s side have probably exceeded expectations in the Dutchman’s first season, but that has given him some leeway in terms of pinpointing his transfer targets.
A potential top four finish, a Carabao Cup win and a possible FA Cup final win over United’s biggest rivals shows that the Red Devils are heading in the right direction – on the pitch at least.
However, there are definite improvements that can be made to the starting XI and the squad overall, with defence a particular area to be looked at.
Harry Maguire has barely featured in the latter part of the season for the Old Trafford outfit, so it would be no surprise to see the England international depart.
He would have to be replaced of course, and Il Mattino report that United have confirmed that they will pay Napoli the €56m release clause for centre-back Kim Min-jae.
Only 10 months ago, the Serie A champions paid Fenerbahce €20m for the South Korean’s services, and appear to not be in a position to match United’s offer to the player – which he has apparently already accepted – of €9m/£7m a season, four times what he’s currently earning at Napoli.
Given how well the Partnopei defence did for the most part during 2022/23, Kim Min-jae will be expected to be a solid addition to the United back line.
However, Newcastle United are also reported to be interested, and with the Magpies having potentially unlimited reserves, that could put a real spoke in the Red Devils ambitions.