After the Brentford thrashing at the weekend, not many fans would argue against the fact that Manchester United need to replace the entire first XI.
But as United have shown down the years, they are not the best when it comes to buying the manager’s preferred targets or selling their players for a profit.
And Erik ten Hag is seeing what many have experienced before him. He has made his displeasure known as the task at hands gets more difficult by the day.
Manchester United or Diogo Dalot camp have not been approached by Barcelona. He’s appreciated internally but there are no negotiations ongoing, as of now. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Dalot’s highly rated by ten Hag – while Aaron Wan Bissaka has always been considered available on the market. pic.twitter.com/Wx2nZs1d7O
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2022
Apart from bringing in quality players, the Red Devils also need to trim their bloated squad with quite a few positions having an abundance of players not good enough for the club.
RB woes
As previously reported, Barcelona right-back Sergino Dest is attracting interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea. The young full-back wants to stay and fight for his place.
According to Fabrizio Romano‘s exclusive Caught Offside column, United right-back Diogo Dalot is appreciated by the Barca board as they continue to hunt for the perfect defender but they are not interested in a swap deal.
Ten Hag seems to trust the young Portuguese and there is no chance of parting ways this summer. Negotiations have also not taken place regarding this.
However, the Italian journalist did confirm that the Premier League giants are trying to offload Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Surprisingly, Barca seem to have the former Crystal Palace player in their shortlist of targets.
According to Gerard Romero, the Camp Nou outfit have a list of five players whom they want to replace Dest with. Both United full-backs Dalot and Wan-Bissaka are in that list.
The La Liga club also like Jeremie Frimpong, Juan Foyth and Thomas Meunier. Foyth is the name that most interests Barca followed by Meunier.
The latest SPORT report indicates that United want to offload Wan-Bissaka as quickly as possible so as to begin the process of negotiating for Dest. The American is not in Xavi’s plans and knows his minutes will be considerably reduced this season.
Ten Hag is open to the switch as he has worked with the American during his Ajax days. Dest has had an underwhelming time at the La Liga club and they are asking for €20 million euros or include a mandatory purchase clause.
AWB out?
From a United standpoint, Dalot might be Ten Hag’s preferred choice at the moment but apart from a successful pre-season, the former Porto star has really struggled in the opening two games.
Wan-Bissaka’s skillset is not what the Dutch boss prefers and it might be in both parties’ best interest to part ways. United definitely need competition for the right-back spot and Dest would be a smart addition considering his rapport with the manager from their Ajax days.
However, as of now, the Red Devils seem to be more intent on midfield and attacking signings but such a weak squad definitely needs a major overhaul.
