Top targets poised to be part of Man Utd new Empire

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be handed £250million to rebuild Manchester United this summer following their Champions League exit.

Solskjaer has told the United hierarchy he must make at least four strategic signings this summer and offload players if the Reds are to challenge for the major prizes again.

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United were outclassed by Barcelona on Tuesday, with Lionel Messi scoring twice in a 3-0 win at the Nou Camp to send Solskjaer’s men out 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

Solskjaer had identified key areas of his squad that need addressing before the Barca debacle, with United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward ready to back his new boss this summer.

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England trio Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are top of United’s wanted list, along with Ajax’s Matthijs De Ligt, as Solskjaer plans a radical overhaul of his squad.

There will be a major cull at Old Trafford, with Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez all leaving as part of a huge summer rebuild.

United’s humbling in Spain, coupled with their struggle to secure a top-four place to ensure Champions League football next season, have exposed the glaring deficiencies within their squad.

While United have spent £725m on players in the six years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, there has been no coherent approach to their buying policy, which has left them in their current plight.

United’s defence needs a major rebuild, with Ajax’s prodigiously-talented centre-back De Ligt the ultimate signing, but with the 19-year-old set to join Barcelona, Solskjaer is likely to have to look elsewhere.

Alternative targets include Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leicester’s Harry Maguire, but the centre-back United do ultimately sign must be elite, someone around whom Solskajer can build his entire defence.

With Luke Shaw – suspended in Barcelona – thriving at left-back, right-back is the only other position at the back United need to address, despite having signed Diogo Dalot from Porto.

Crystal Palace’s Wan-Bissaka has been identified by Solskjaer as the ideal candidate to replace Valencia at right-back, a position that has been neglected by United for far too long.

Ashley Young, converted from a winger to a right-back, has served United well, but time has finally caught up with him, as proven by his calamitous performance in the Nou Camp.

While Manchester City have spent £235m on their defence since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016, United have invested just £79m in the same time, relying on Young, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, while neglecting to invest in the best defenders available like their local rivals.

Then there are the ongoing issues over the futures of arguably two of United’s most important players, David De Gea and Paul Pogba.

De Gea, who has one year left on his contract and has yet to agree a new deal, has been well below his imperious best this season, culminating in his blunder for Lionel Messi’s second goal on Tuesday.

United insist they will not have to make a decision on De Gea’s future this summer and be forced to sell him or risk losing him for nothing next year, if a contract extension is not reached.

But with De Gea having lost his focus and form, and demanding a salary in excess of £400,000-a-week, which United are not prepared to meet, perhaps a parting of the ways this summer is best for both parties.

Pogba is providing Solskjaer with another headache. Having flourished in the wake of his arrival in December, with eight goals and six assists in 10 games, Pogba has reverted to type.

In his subsequent 12 games, he has three goals – including two penalties – and two assists, and was anonymous in both legs against Barcelona.

His dip in form has coincided with the launching of Real Madrid’s campaign to sign him this summer, and United may well be forced to get the best possible price for him as part of a complete overhaul of their midfield.

Up front, there are also issues for Solskjaer to address. Marcus Rashford has scored just three goals in his last 12 for United, Anthony Martial is without a goal in over two months, Jesse Lingard has not scored in nearly three months, while Romelu Lukaku has gone five games without finding the net.

United, currently sixth, face three games in seven days against Everton , Manchester City and Chelsea that will go a long way to deciding whether they are in the Champions League or Europa League next season.

If it is the latter, attracting their top targets and keeping players they want could further undermine the already tough rebuilding process facing Solskjaer, who has it all to do.

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