Following a thrilling end to what has been one of the best Premier League seasons in recent years, clubs have already begun making plans on squad improvement ahead of the 2019/2020 season.
Manchester United are expected to be the busiest team this summer after they finished outside the champions league summer. The Red Devils finished in sixth place, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to make changes to his squad this summer.
Deadwood like Alexis Sanchez is expected to ship off, while the future of Paul Pogba is still uncertain. The French international is a subject of interest from Real Madrid and could leave Old Trafford in search of Champions League football.
Although Solskjaer will be backed heavily in the transfer market, the former Cardiff manager may find it difficult to land his top choice due to transfer fees. The Norwegian may have to pay over the odds in order to get his summer targets, especially with United not having champions league football to offer.
And that still does not guarantee United will be able to land their targets as there are clubs who will be able to offer the players something better. With the club facing the prospect of missing out on their prime targets this summer, we’ve decided to take a look at some players who are out of contracts this summer and can help United’s cause next season.
Bosman transfer as it is called, has not been an area of the market United have exploited in recent years; in fact, in the Ed Woodward era, the Reds have too often garnered a reputation as over-spenders, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to avoid big-money flops. So here are the free agents the Red Devils should consider bringing in this summer.
Arjen Robben: The former Netherlands international will be leaving Bayern Munich this summer after 10 fruitful years at the Allianz Arena. Although he is already at the twilight of his career, Robben could still do a job at Old Trafford given United’s lack of orthodox winger.
The former Chelsea star could solve Solskjaer’s right-wing issues and his stats over the last two seasons suggest the 35-year-old could still in for one final swansong before hanging his boots.
The former PSV teenager has scored eight goals in 23 appearances for the Bavarian giants this season which is not bad for a 35-year-old. Robben will also bring a lot of experiences to United, something which the current team could do with.
Adrien Rabiot: The France star was a longterm target of Spanish giants Barcelona, but a deal could not be agreed and the La Liga champions signed Ajax Frenkie De Jong instead. He has been an outcast at Paris Saint Germain after failing to agree a new deal and has not played for the club since March.
However, United will need to deal with the France international’s indiscipline if they sign him on a free. The 21-year-old was fined and suspended by PSG this summer for turning late to training, visiting a night club few hours after a match and was caught liking a post of Patrice Evra celebrating United’s champions league win over PSG.
Nevertheless, his quality is not in doubt and will definitely be a big addition to the United team. He will definitely be an upgrade on Ander Herrera who ironically left the Red Devils for PSG. Rabiot is one of the best passers of the game and his 93.1% pass accuracy in Ligue 1 shows he’s the kind of midfielder United needs.
Max Kruse: Not too long ago Max Kruse looked like Germany’s best option to lead their attack, but things fell apart for the striker in the build-up to Euro 2016. He was admonished for eating too much Nutella and fined £20,000 for leaving £60,000 of poker winnings in the back of a taxi, which led Joachim Löw to drop him from the national team for “acting unprofessionally”.
In truth, if the Germany squad was picked on merit, Kruse should be given an international recall, but his more pressing issue is deciding where his future lies at club level.
According to the Guardian, the versatile forward had a direct hand in 20 Bundesliga goals for Werder Bremen this season, scoring 11 and assisting nine. He flourished when deployed behind a lone striker in particular and his creativity and vision would be a real asset to a number of Premier League teams. With United struggling for goals and relying only on Marcus Rashford, the German star could be the one to solve the Red Devils woes.
Yacine Brahimi: The Algerian international has long been touted with an exit from Porto and, having run down his contract, he will surely make that move this summer. The Algeria winger will have no shortage of suitors.
He did turn 29 earlier this year, but he shows no signs of slowing down; Brahimi hit double figures for league goals for the first time in his career this season. Brahimi is renowned for his dazzling skills – he completed more dribbles than any other player in Portugal this season (84) – and his ability to isolate and beat defenders makes him a true entertainer.
Having proven himself on the biggest stage in the Champions League over the last five years, he would be an astute signing for Manchester United.
Diego Godin: The Uruguayan captain is leaving Atletico Madrid this summer and United could do with someone of his quality, given the state of their defence. The Red Devils conceded 54 goals in the league alone and could do with a Godin who was part of an Atletico Madrid defence that conceded just 29 goals in the league this season.
Reports suggest Inter Milan are willing to make the Uruguayan a major offer, but Godin’s experience is exactly what United need in the heart of their back line. As short-term defensive options come, there won’t be much better.