Manchester United have finished their season after losing the FA Cup final and Ten Hag wants the club to sign as soon as possible, while the transfer department sees Chelsea's England international Mason Mount as the best person to satisfy the manager's wishes. Athletic Net reports that United plan to sign two new signings as soon as possible during the summer window to ensure they can join the training camp on July 12, and Mount is one of them.
To be sure, the 24-year-old has played his final game at Chelsea. In the 38th round of the season, the English midfielder said goodbye around Stamford Bridge with emotion, and most people, including his team-mates, thought Mount would be the way to go.
Chelsea have been trying to renew Mason Mount since last summer, but have been rejected three times and a turnaround is now unlikely. A number of clubs in England and continental Europe, including Manchester United, are interested in bringing in, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Juventus and Bayern Munich all suitors, but the Red Devils have the advantage.
Manchester United are already in talks with Chelsea, with the transfer fee being the biggest hurdle, with the Blues wanting £70 million and United unwilling to give that much. It is reported that Mount still has the possibility of staying at Chelsea and waiting until the contract expires on a free transfer, but the chances of such a scenario happening are not high.
Chelsea's new boss Pochettino wants to keep Mason Mount and players joining other clubs for free can also receive higher salaries and signing fees. However, Chelsea need transfer income to avoid breaching UEFA's new rules of fair play for finance.
As for another new signing that United want to bring in as soon as possible, it is naturally a new centre-forward in the ideal situation, such as Tottenham captain Harry Kane. But the reality is brutal, and it's like Mason Mount staying at Chelsea, with extremely low odds. Unless Atalanta's Danish youngster Hoilund is bought instead, the new centre of the Red Devils will not be so easy to win. United's quick second signing is likely to come from other leagues, with South Korean centre-back Kim Min-ya of Napoli also being another candidate, who has a penalty clause in his contract.
Italy's "transfer market" rumours suggest Manchester United are willing to pay £51 million (€60 million) to buy out Kim Minya, Newcastle United want to compete for the Serie A defender of the season and Napoli are looking to sign George Scarvini from Atalanta as a replacement.
United's plans for this summer also hinge on deals to sell existing players. Unfortunately, the club didn't sell well. The Reds are notoriously worse sellers than sellers, spending £230 million on signings last summer, and selling players for just $23 million, less than a fraction of what was spent. This was also thanks to Fulham's generous payment of £10 million to bring in Andreas Pereira. Other larger gains were James Garner's £9 million move to Everton and Tahith Chong's £1.5 million move to Birmingham City.
Manchester United intend to sell a number of high-profile players in the summer window, but it is difficult and most of them are priceless. Like the 27-year-old French demon king Anthony Martial, who is due to an injury reimbursement towards the end of the season, Ten Hag revealed that his injury will lead to a long absence, fearing that it will affect the plan to sell him.
30-year-old centre-back Harry Maguire is another star who wants to sell but is not easy to achieve, and the England international is reluctant to leave. Harry Maguire remains Manchester United club captain in official sources, and although the captain's armband is worn more often on Bruno Fernandes' arm during the game, the carrier is so proud of his status that he doesn't want to give it up.
Harry Maguire has only started 16 games in all competitions this season, and actually played 1,593 minutes, compared to 3,169 minutes in 2021/22. Ten Hag and the club are reluctant to force the big head to go, while sources say Harry Maguire is extremely proud to be Manchester United captain (great Pride) and wants to stay and fight for his place.
But Maguire is 30 years old, and with his size and style, suddenly becoming in line with Ten Hag's tactical requirements is completely impossible. At Manchester United, Harry Maguire is already a true fifth centre-back, behind Lisandro Martinez, Varane, Lindelof and Luke Shaw. In the FA Cup final, Lima was injured, Ten Hag chose Varane to partner Lindelöf, and Maguire sat on the bench for 90 minutes.
Harry Maguire has two years left on his contract with Manchester United and now the club can only look to England manager Gareth Southgate. Announcing the latest England squad, the boss reminded Harry Maguire that if he continues to play as a substitute, his future in the national team cannot be guaranteed.
Selling Harry Maguire should fetch a £40 million transfer fee based on market value, but his £190,000 weekly salary limits transfer options, and basically no club is willing to give him such treatment. As a result, Manchester United may have to subsidize wages, and British media say Manchester United is willing to give £10 million in compensation, which is equivalent to a 10 million reduction in Maguire's transfer fee.