Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that Manchester United needed to strengthen their squad in order to be able to compete with the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid and other top clubs in Europe. The interim manager explained that the gulf in quality between Manchester United and European competition was too large and was made obvious in the defeat to the French giants.
In line with that direction, Manchester United have identified Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic as their main transfer targets this summer. As exclusively revealed on talkSPORT 2 on Thursday, the club will try and buy those three players before the start of next season in their bid to make up lost ground on rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
The esteemed list is headlined by 21-year-old right-back Wan-Bissaka, who has established himself as one of Europe’s hottest prospects after a fine breakthrough season at Selhurst Park. Arsenal are also monitoring Wan-Bissaka and it is understood Palace will demand up to £40million or more for the England youth international.
Manchester United are keen to strengthen at right-back, with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young both 33, and Diogo Dalot struggling to make an impact under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. A central defender is also high among their priorities and the Red Devils are refusing to give up on their pursuit of Senegal international Koulibaly.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed in December that United made a £95million bid for the 27-year-old before Jose Mourinho was sacked. Koulibaly is considered among the best defenders in European football, and with top centre-backs at a premium, the Red Devils would have to break the transfer record for a defender, set by Liverpool when they bought Virgil van Dijk for £75million in January 2018.
And Barcelona playmaker Rakitic has also emerged as a target for the Manchester giants. The Catalans are considering selling the 30-year-old midfielder to help balance their books, with Inter Milan understood to be leading the chase for his signature. Manchester United also have the small matter of appointing a permanent manager this summer, with Former Manchester United striker and current interim manager Solskjaer now firm favourite to land the job.
The Norwegian extended his incredible run with a 3-1 victory away to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, becoming the first manager to win eight consecutive away games in the club’s history. Solskjaer has lost only one game in all competitions since he became interim manager at Manchester United