All of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong have been shortlisted as summer midfield targets for Manchester United, according to a report.
The Red Devils saw their engine room ranks thinned by the departures of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard at the end of last season, but Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have proven to be astute acquisitions.
A serious ankle injury to Eriksen triggered a deadline-day move for Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich in January, and the Austria international is being tipped to join the Red Devils permanently for the 2023-24 season.
No matter what transpires with Sabitzer's future, Man United are expected to splash the cash on a big-name lynchpin, especially with Scott McTominay's future at the club being called into question recently.
According to the Daily Mail, all of Bellingham, Rice and De Jong are being tracked by Old Trafford chiefs in anticipation of McTominay's possible exit, in spite of the latter appearing to rule out an exit from Barcelona.
© Reuters
De Jong's future dominated the talk of the transfer market last summer, as Erik ten Hag fought tooth and nail to bring his former Ajax protege to Old Trafford without success.
The Red Devils were said to have reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona over a fee at one stage, but De Jong never had any intention of ending his time at Camp Nou.
De Jong faced his admirers in the Europa League playoff round, as Barcelona exited the competition 4-3 on aggregate to Ten Hag's side, but he has since shot down rumours that he could link up with the Dutchman in Manchester.
When asked if he could envisage a switch to the Theatre of Dreams last month, De Jong responded: "No, I don't think so. You never know with the future, but I am happy at Barcelona.
"Things have changed for me since the summer. I play almost every match, and I feel good. I am a better player now than what I was when I signed for Barca."
© Reuters
Meanwhile, West Ham United are seemingly resigned to losing captain Rice at the end of the season, with the 24-year-old rejecting several approaches to extend his contract beyond the summer of 2024.
Man United will have to fend off competition from Arsenal and Chelsea to sign Rice, who announced his desire to play for a club competing in the Champions League during the World Cup.
West Ham have refused to budge on their £100m valuation of Rice, but their stance may have to change this summer given his contract situation, and the Englishman would still prove to be a cheaper acquisition than Borussia Dortmund's Bellingham.
The 19-year-old will be at the centre of an intense transfer tussle this summer, with all of Man United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City vying for his signature.
However, with Bellingham contracted to Dortmund until 2025, the German giants are under no pressure to sell this summer, and they are not giving up hope of tying him down to a new deal.
A recent report claimed that Dortmund were willing to offer Bellingham a whopping 150% increase on his current salary to remain at the Westfalenstadion, and only bids of €150m (£132.1m) or more will be entertained this summer.
Ben Knapton
