5 players Manchester United should sign this summer

Fabinho will be available on the transfer market in the summer
Fabinho will be available in the transfer market this summer

Manchester United may sit second in the league, but they are a considerable fifteen points adrift of leaders Manchester City. Their local rivals have seen a major squad overhaul under coach Pep Guardiola. The likes of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Johns Stones and Ederson have been drafted in, in order to bolster the defence, while Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane were signed to improve the overall attack.

If the Red Devils want to have any chance of challenging for the title next season, they need to add quality players to their squad or they risk another season without winning the Premier League. So here, we take a look at 5 players who Jose Mourinho should be looking to bring in next summer...


#5 Fabinho:

Antonio Valencia has been one of the best right-backs in Europe this season. His performances on the pitch have earned him the captain's armband in Michael Carrick's absence. Jose Mourinho is also fond of the mercurial Ecuadorian, stating "I just think he is the best right-back you can have. There is no better right-back in football."

That said, the fact that Valencia will turn 33 come the start of next season means that Manchester United are in need of a younger, able replacement for him in the summer. Fabinho is one player in particular that the Red Devils have been linked with in the past. The 21-year-old Brazilian will be eyed as a long term prospect at right-back by Mourinho.

Highly versatile, the AS Monaco player is capable of playing both in midfield or at full-back. The player himself spoke about his intentions to leave the French club at the end of the season. Jose Mourinho will no doubt be provided with the requisite transfer funds to bring in the players to challenge Manchester City for the title and should be looking to scoop up the Brazil international in the summer.

#4 Andrea Belotti:

Belotti would be the perfect replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the squad
Belotti would be the perfect replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the squad

Andrea Belotti took the Serie A by storm last season, scoring 26 goals and earning his first call-up to the Italian national team. He was linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid in the summer but chose to stay at Torino for another year.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic retiring or potentially even moving on to a new club after this season, Mourinho needs a replacement for the Swedish legend. Romelu Lukaku made a bright start to the season but has struggled to score goals of late. Young strikers Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford also play their best football on the flanks and cannot be counted on to score goals every week just yet.

Belotti is quick, industrious and has a superb eye for goal. He has a powerful shot and is capable of finishing with both feet. The Italian has also been praised for his work-rate on the pitch. Mourinho would be keen to the partner the prolific Italian with Lukaku upfront, easing the pressure on the Belgian forward.

Belotti is definitely a player Manchester United should consider snapping up in the summer.

#3 Mesut Ozil:

Ozil is out of contract in the summer
Ozil is out of contract in the summer

Regularly dubbed the 'Assist King', Mesut Özil is out of contract at Arsenal in the summer and any talks of a new contract at The Emirates have stalled. A number of top clubs will be vying for his signature but Özil has played under Mourinho previously at Real Madrid, with both men having a clear mutual respect and understanding for one another.

Mourinho has said in the past that Özil is the best number ten in the world and hugely appreciates his talent. Manchester United are in dire need of a creative spark in midfield as Henrikh Mkhitaryan has struggled to maintain consistency, since joining from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 2016.

Ozil is one of the best playmakers in the world and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward should leave no stone unturned in his efforts to bring him to the red side Manchester.

#2 Gareth Bale:

Gareth Bale could be available in the summer
Gareth Bale could be available in the summer

Gareth Bale signed for Real Madrid back in 2013 for a world-record transfer fee. Of late though, he has struggled with injuries and has spent seemingly more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. Club president Florentino Perez is rumoured to have lost patience with the Welsh winger and wants to cut his losses in the summer.

Manchester United lack a genuine winger in their squad with midfielders and, as previously mentioned, strikers largely occupying that position. Bale will provide quality service to the likes of Romelu Lukaku and will offer genuine width on the pitch. His agility will help stretch play to the byline, exactly the kind of football United used to play under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Red Devils made a failed attempt to bring the former-Tottenham star to Old Trafford before he joined Real Madrid. They will have a better chance of signing him next summer with his injury history warding off many potential suitors.

#1 Antoine Griezmann:

Greizmann was close to joining Manchester United last summer
Griezmann was close to joining Manchester United last summer

Griezmann was close to signing for United in the summer before Atletico Madrid were hit hard by a transfer ban from FIFA. Hence, the Frenchman chose to stay in the Spanish capital and sign a new contract under condition that his transfer fee would remain unchanged after this season.

Mourinho's team lacks the kind of flair and attacking instinct that Griezmann brings to the field. The French international is capable of playing as a secondary-striker or as an attacking-midfielder. Such versatility would be of tremendous use to Mourinho who has shuffled between a 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 formation this season.

The Frenchman is reportedly on Barcelona's radar too, but the deal could be off after the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool. Manchester United need to sign stars of Antoine Griezmann's quality to challenge giants like City and should be doing everything in their power to ensure he ends up in Manchester next summer.

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Edited by Liam Flin