It will be a long summer for Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears all set to score three more signings in the transfer window following the completed deal on Donny van de Beek. The Norwegian manager is seeking to boost his roster by bringing a center-back, a winger, and a striker to Old Trafford.
These targets will be Solskjaer's focus in the weeks ahead as he relishes the acquisition of Van de Beek from Ajax. The Dutchman will don the United shirt next season after the Eredivisie champions agreed on the £40.3 million sale that is seen as a break for the Red Devils, who have been frustrated by the drag on the transfer deals they've been working on.
Van de Beek has been on United's radar for months and the club had to compete with rivals for the player's signature. The midfielder, however, became available when Barcelona, once the frontrunner to sign the Ajax ace, decided to skip for other priorities.
Metro said United lost no time to get the 23-year-old to sign and he is expected to join the team for training soon. His arrival is seen as a welcome news for the English side that has been waiting for the good news on priority target Jadon Sancho.
While Sancho remains elusive, Solskjaer will still need to fill up three positions that he believes will be the key for the Red Devils to be more competitive in the upcoming campaigns. Sports Illustrated said three more recruits are expected and one of them is Sancho.
Sancho's addition will allow the United boss to play Mason Greenwood on a position where he is perceived to operate more efficiently. Greenwood will re-deployed on the middle while Sancho, if he signs with the club, will be allowed to play where he excels the best - on the right-wing.
Another target for United is a center-back to support Harry Maguire. Preferably, Solskjaer is looking for a faster version of Maguire for his design to bolster the club's defensive wall.
A striker is also high on the list of the team manager and when he comes in, he would be the alternate to Anthony Martial. With competition on the roster, Martial is expected to level up on his game and perform better than he did last season.
The planned summer signings will be funded in part by the money to be generated from the sale of United players. SI said Solskjaer has prepared a list of players that are available for purchase and some of the names include Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones, Andreas Pereira, Chris Smalling, Sergio Romero, and Marcos Rojo - all marked as surplus to requirements.
But offloading these players will not be an easy task for Solskjaer. Most of them will come with salaries that buying clubs will most likely find as unattractive, which is especially true with the financial constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
