Incoming Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been told he will need to target players on free transfers as the club’s ‘limited’ budget means funds can only cover part of the revamp he wants to make at the club.
The Dutchman will target up to seven players this summer, with a centre forward, a midfielder and a centre-back considered the three priority areas.
But the Ajax manager wants to strengthen at full-back and add more depth to midfield, particularly with Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Matic and Juan Mata are all set to leave.
But, the Sun claim Ten Hag’s budget has been capped at around £100m – which would only allow the manager to sign around three players.
However, Ten Hag could top up his budget through player sales, with the likes of Anthony Martial, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Henderson available for transfer.
But other than Martial, none of those players are likely to command huge fees and the Dutchman’s been told he should target players out of contract if he wants to really improve his squad.
United held discussions with Antonio Rudiger’s camp last month but they failed to convince the German to move to Old Trafford, with the out-of-contract Chelsea star set to join Real Madrid.
His team-mate, Andreas Christesen, is another defender that’s available on a free transfer this season but he’s expected to sign for Barcelona.
The likes of Paulo Dybala, Dembele and Franck Kessie are all available on free transfers this summer window but Ten Hag will be given the final say on any arrivals at the club.
