It appears increasingly likely Manchester United will miss out on young midfielder Jude Bellingham.
ESPN report Bellingham is set to choose Borussia Dortmund, much to United’s disappointment.
Looking ahead, this frees up United to scour the transfer market to look for an alternative.
Here are seven players who Old Trafford chiefs could look to target now instead of Bellingham…
Thomas Partey
This would be a way for United to go all out to try and get better immediately. Instead of signing a player with potential, United would be buying a world class midfielder capable of instantly improving the team.
Partey is available at £43.5 million, which would actually be a bargain for a player of his ability.
His recent performances in the Champions League were key to knocking Liverpool out.
Eduardo Camavinga
Instead of buying one teenage prospect, United could look to swoop for another.
Camavinga, 17, has been a regular for Rennes this season, making 36 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.
Rennes will not let him leave easily, while Real Madrid have strong interest. A big push from United could still be decisive.
John McGinn
Relegation for Aston Villa could leave their star players ripe for picking. John McGinn could become a quality squad player for United.
The Scot has three goals and two assists in 20 appearances this season, and averages 2.4 tackles won per game in midfield.
Florentino Luis
Another player to file in the young prospect category, Florentino Luis is a player who ESPN reported United held talks over in January.
The young defensive midfielder is just 20. He is far from the finished player, but has outstanding potential for United’s coaches to work with. Like Bellingham could have been, Florentino could be eased into the side.
Boubakary Soumare
Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare was reported to be on United’s radar back in January [Sky Sports].
Our interest in Bellingham has seen this fade, and now it could be time to re-establish a push to sign the 21-year-old, who has been compared to Paul Pogba.
Soumare has a chance to develop into one of Europe’s top defensive midfielders and could benefit from learning under Nemanja Matic.
Denis Zakaria
Borussia Moenchenladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria has been on United’s list of potential recruits since last October, BILD reports.
The 23-year-old Swiss international has averaged 2.3 tackles per game this season, and looks primed for a big move at some stage over the next two years.
Zakaria has previously told the Bundesliga website he watches videos of Paul Pogba to try and learn from. How about a first hand look?
Sandro Tonali
A player with a unique style described as a mix of Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, Tonali is an outstanding prospect.
The 20-year-old will leave relegation bound Brescia this summer, the question is ‘where to?’
Top Italian clubs Juventus and Inter are favourites, Goal report. Yet a big money offer from United could change everything.
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