Thursday Morning deal: Arrival Imminent: £70m star signed as perfect Varane replacement – Man United’s dream defence after transfer

Eight days are all that now stand between Manchester United and the start of the summer transfer window.

This summer promises to mark one of the more important windows the club has faced in recent years. Following the arrival of the Ineos Group, a raft of changes are expected to take place in preparation for next season.

After making long overdue changes in the boardroom, United now need to start making them on the pitch. The club issued its retained list on Wednesday, confirming the likes of Brandon Williams and Charlie McNeill will be following Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial out the door when their contracts expire later this month.

Further departures are expected over the course of this summer, so much so they could reach double figures. United need to raise funds through player sales to remain within the boundaries of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules [PSR].

Each area of the team is expected to come under the microscope, not least the defence, which is need of a shake-up. There could be a hive of transfer activity across the backline as we take a close look at how many deals may need to be completed to rebuild the perfect rearguard.

United have already announced that Varane and Williams will be leaving the club upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of this month. They will join Alvaro Fernandez in leaving Old Trafford, following Benfica’s decision to sign him on a permanent basis last month.

Varane’s time at Old Trafford has reached a natural conclusion, meaning it is in United’s best interests to get him off the books. Williams and Fernandez were never likely to have long-term futures at the club, meaning it also makes sense to move them on.

Releasing two and selling one so far, more exits need to come to fruition. Both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof are about to enter the final 12 months of their deals after one-year options were triggered back in December.

Wan-Bissaka, despite making 30 appearances in 2023/24, would generate a small fee for United, in turn freeing up a space in the squad for a new right-back to come in and challenge Diogo Dalot. Lindelof is in a similar position, in the sense his time at the club has run its course and he would generate a fee ahead of potentially being lost for nothing a year down the line.

Will Fish also needs offloading permanently after spending the last two seasons on loan at Hibernian. He has been linked with several Championship sides.

There is also scope for United to send Harry Amass out on loan at some point next season. The talented 17-year-old offered plenty of promise at youth level in 2023/24 and it could be in his best interests to see if he can secure some regular first-team football elsewhere, perhaps in the EFL.

With up to six defenders leaving Old Trafford via one form or another over the summer, United will need to plug those gaps with new faces. Varane’s exit leaves a gaping hole in the heart of the back four, and most United fans anticipate he will be replaced by a first-choice, right-sided centre-back to partner Lisandro Martinez.

United, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, are targeting the additions of two centre-backs this summer and have identified Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton, Juventus’ Gleison Bremer and Bayer Leverkusen ace Edmond Tapsoba as options. They have also been linked with Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio and highly-rated Lille youngster Leny Yoro.

Each member of that quintet would expect to be a regular starter at United, meaning it is unlikely the club would sign two players from that list. They would be more likely to sign one of them as a star addition and then look for a back-up option.

As for the right-back berth, United would have to replace Wan-Bissaka with a well-rounded operator, who is capable of defending and attacking in equal measure. Wan-Bissaka is more polished defensively than Dalot, whereas the latter is better than the former going forward. United need to source someone who meets those two in the middle.

On the opposite side of the back four, Luke Shaw’s and Tyrell Malacia’s injury struggles in 2023/24 mean the club may be forced into shopping for another left-back. But with Shaw still held in very high regard when fit, it makes that particular puzzle not so easy to solve.

Furthermore, if United decide against sending Amass out on loan and want to gradually integrate him even further into the first-team squad instead, four left-backs would be too many. It would be both unhealthy and unnecessary.