Manchester United will be pleased with their summer transfer business after making five major signings for Ruben Amorim’s squad.
It was a busy deadline day for the Red Devils, with Senne Lammens signing for £18m from Royal Antwerp to strengthen the goalkeeping department.
He joins Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Diego Leon and Benjamin Sesko as this summer’s major signings, with over £200m spent in the 2025/26 window.
Ruben Amorim will also be pleased to see a handful of unwanted players depart, and United will continue to profit from their sales heading into 2026 with several obligatory buy clauses attached to loans.
Ineos will already have one eye on 2026, and one long-term target could be hijacked from a direct rival.
Man United must try to hijack 2026 Marc Guehi deal
United didn’t strengthen at centre-back this summer, with more focus on adding firepower to Amorim’s squad.
But United have been long-term admirers of Marc Guehi, and there may be a few regrets around Carrington had he made a move to Liverpool this summer.
Liverpool struck a £35 million deal with Crystal Palace to sign Marc Guehi this summer, but the move has now collapsed late on.
Guehi was valued at £50m during United’s interest, but now the England international is set to be a free agent next summer.
Liverpool will surely be back in for him in 2026, but United could try to unsettle their rivals and try to hijack their deal.
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey exclusively told United in Focus that Guehi is one to watch in 2026.
“I certainly think that Marc Guehi will be one of the big stories in 2026 – I know Barcelona and Bayern Munich like him, he is going to have his pick of clubs.
“Whether United are in the mix, well that will depend how they perform in the next nine months.”
Man United will need a new centre-back in 2026
United may not have needed a new centre-back this summer, but they will almost certainly need reinforcements in 2026.
Harry Maguire’s contract expires in 2026, meaning the 32-year-old is set to be released as a free agent.
With Amorim’s style of play requiring three centre-backs, a replacement will be needed, and Guehi is a perfect profile for the 3-4-2-1 system.
Guehi has previously played in a back three and is entering his prime years. He would join as a Premier League-proven star. If a deal is there to be done, Ineos must be there in 2026.
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