The transfer window is underway, and Manchester United have welcomed three new players to the first team ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Ruben Amorim is trying to bounce back from a turbulent first six months as Manchester United head coach. After replacing Erik ten Hag in October, the former Sporting CP boss was unable to steady the ship at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils losing the Europa League final to Tottenham and finishing 15th in the Premier League.
One of the biggest issues that faced United last season was the lack of goals scored. A total of 44 in the Premier League doesn’t bode well for a club that wants to challenge for the biggest honours, so Amorim has attempted to fix that in the summer transfer window.
Matheus Cunha was the first player to arrive from Wolves and is expected to add to the team’s firepower in attack next season. The same can be said for Bryan Mbeumo, who joined from Brentford.
United also welcomed Diego Leon from Cerro Porteno after the young left-wing-back agreed to join the club in January.
There are still gaping holes in Amorim’s team, but it is understood that United are under pressure to sell players to generate enough funds to secure those signings.
It has been widely reported that Amorim wants to add a striker, a deep-lying midfielder and a goalkeeper to his squad before the new season begins.
Man Utd risk starting 2025/26 season without new striker
While United watch their Premier League rivals close in on deals for strikers, there is a growing possibility that Amorim could take the team into the new season without a new striker.
The timely reality check came after Marcus Rashford’s loan move to Barcelona was confirmed.
It comes a month before United kick off the new campaign against Arsenal at Old Trafford, meaning that Rasmus Hojlund could get a third season as the main striker, despite his struggles.
Earlier this summer, United missed out on priority target Liam Delap when he opted to join Chelsea in a £30m deal instead. More expensive targets, including Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike, are Arsenal and Liverpool-bound, respectively.
Ineos appeared to sit back on their striker hunt when it became clear that Delap was set to choose Chelsea; therefore, they turned their attention to Cunha. The Brazilian scored 17 goals for Wolves in the Premier League last term but is expected to play as a No. 10 in Amorim’s system, like Mbeumo.
It seems Delap’s £30m move to Chelsea had a knock-on effect for United, but there’s still a range of strikers linked with moves this summer.
Man Utd list of striker targets
There is never a shortage of transfer targets at United.
Ineos will be keeping a close eye on the striker market between now and deadline day, although Amorim’s preference was for a player with Premier League experience.
United’s spending is heavily reliant on selling players, and they have been linked with several strikers such as Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani, Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa and RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko.
Some free agents have been touted too, such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy.
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