Gary Neville has said that Manchester United must prioritise three key positions in the transfer market this summer and has named Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane as his dream signing if the club could pick any player from a major rival.
With a fresh approach, United have improved considerably over the past two years under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and are on course to finish second in the Premier League for only the second time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
But the squad rebuild, which has seen a targeted recruitment strategy implemented since 2019 as opposed to the somewhat scattergraph policy that existed before, is still a work in progress.
In a Twitter Q&A session, Neville was asked which three positions he thinks should be considered the ‘top priorities’ for United ahead of next season and gave his response as centre-back, striker and right winger. All three are positions that that the club is already trying to strengthen.
When it comes to an ideal individual player, Neville opted for World Cup and four-time Champions League winner Varane, who would be a top addition in the centre of defence.
Varane is even tipped to leave Real this summer as his contract expires next year and there is no agreement over an extension, although United have their eye on slightly younger targets to bring in as a partner to Harry Maguire – who Neville says is currently United’s most ‘important’ player.
90min revealed last month that Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Villarreal’s Pau Torres are the two names that United have at the top of their shortlist after whittling down potential options.
United retain their longstanding interest in Jadon Sancho for the right-wing berth, even hoping that last summer’s gamble of refusing to meet Borussia Dortmund’s asking price could pay off if the Bundesliga are in need of a cash injection to make up for revenue shortfalls.
Up front, United are also believed to have rekindled interest in Erling Haaland, although the Norwegian prodigy stands to be the most in demand player on the market.
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