Manchester United are already drawing up plans for next summer’s transfer window, according to Samuel Luckhurst.
Writing for The Manchester Evening News, the journalist claims that The Red Devils are keeping tabs on players who will be entering the final twelve months of their contract next year.
This fits a recent pattern from the club, who signed Mason Mount from Chelsea this summer. His contract was set to expire next summer, making a deal that would have previously been seen as impossible, likely.
Likewise it has been strongly reported that Sofyan Amrabat will sign for Man United before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.
A similar approach is set to be taken next summer, and while Luckhurst gets a little carried away throwing out names (he mentions Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, for example), there are some interesting potential targets.
Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Osimhen – both of whom have been heavily linked with United for a number of months – will see their current deals expire in 2025.
A world class striker and a genuine attacking right back would both improve the squad down the line, and while price will have been a prohibiting factor this summer, that might not be the case in the next.
Both players will be in a position to run down their contracts despite only being in their early twenties, which will likely make them top targets next year.
Some of the more ambitious targets named by Luckhurst include Bayern Munich trio Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies and Leroy Sane, Real Madrid pair Eder Militao and Rodrygo, and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
While all of those names might seem like pie in the sky, it is probably worth remember that nobody thought the signings of Casemiro or Raphael Varane were genuine possibilities until they actually happened.
A surprise next summer could well be on the cards, and with the groundwork already being laid and shortlists drawn up, fans will be encouraged to see how the team continues to develop.
Before that, however, Erik ten Hag has a Premier League season and Champions League campaign to navigate, and the focus within the squad will be fixed upon the new season.