Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wants the club to conclude three transfer deals at a time where Cristiano Ronaldo is looking to leave, reports say. The Portugal international is determined to join a team who have Champions League football to offer. And that’s something the Red Devils can’t do after finishing sixth in the Premier League table last term.
Manchester United have only signed Tyrell Malacia so far this summer, with the Netherlands international joining from Feyenoord.
And, now, the Telegraph say Ten Hag is ‘eager’ for the club to add three specific reinforcements to their squad.
The Dutchman is hopeful Frenkie de Jong will move to Old Trafford this summer, despite negotiations for the Barcelona midfielder dragging on and on.
The 25-year-old would prefer to stay at the Nou Camp but could be forced out as Barcelona look to balance their finances.
The Catalan titans have, publicly, said De Jong wants to stay and that they’ve got no interest in letting him go.
Yet the reality is Barcelona need the money and have agreed the majority of a deal with United, who first opened talks for the 25-year-old over 50 days ago.
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United are also pushing to land Lisandro Martinez, too.
The Ajax star joined as a replacement for Matthijs de Ligt back in the summer transfer window of 2019, moving from Defensa Y Justicia.
Martinez has become a key player during his spell in Amsterdam in the time since, with the Argentina international winning two league titles.
Arsenal are hopeful of signing the 24-year-old, with Mikel Arteta eager to add to his defence as he looks to provide competition for the likes of Ben White and Gabriel.
Yet United now appear to be in pole position, with Ten Nag believing Martinez can be a different profile of player to Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
A third signing the Dutchman is pushing for is that of Christian Eriksen.
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Eriksen wasn’t expected to ever play football again after suffering a cardiac arrest at the European Championships a year ago, during Denmark’s match with Finland.
Yet the 30-year-old has bounced back to rediscover his best form, shining during a short-term spell at Brentford last term.
The Bees had been hopeful of keeping Eriksen at the Community Stadium, with manager Thomas Frank still not giving up on a deal.
However, United are now frontrunners and they’re expected to win the race for the former Tottenham star after reaching a verbal agreement.
If United do bring in De Jong, Eriksen and Martinez, it will quell some of the frustration surrounding Old Trafford at present.
Yet it may not necessarily be enough to convince Ronaldo that his future still lies in Manchester.
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Chelsea are in pole position to land the 37-year-old, with Blues owner Todd Boehly daring to dream of a statement signing.
But United don’t want to sell to a direct Premier League rival, especially as it would dent their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
Regarding Ten Hag, meanwhile, former United star Wes Brown recently opened up on what he expects from the 52-year-old’s first season in the dugout.
“Consistency,” he said.
“I know everyone talks about trophies but, for me, it’s more about consistency.
“Can we get to a level of playing and being good? Can we win them games where we’re not so good, can we scuff out a 1-0 win.
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“We start with the basics, is everybody doing right? Is everybody committed right?
“For me, that’s a big key. And can we keep the consistency going?
“Last season, you saw that in certain games. There were some games we were brilliant in one half then I don’t know what would happen in the other.
“That’s the consistency I’m talking about. We can’t be up and down, we have to be on a nice level and get the confidence going.
“From that, the results happen.”
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