Manchester United’s summer transfer window has taken time to get going but things are starting to fall into place for Ruben Amorim.
Following a disastrous 2024–25 campaign, the Red Devils know mass reinforcements are required to restore their place among England’s elite. Matheus Cunha’s £62.5 million transfer is a promising start to the rebuild and the £71 million deal agreed with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo is another exciting switch.
But the work is far from done at Old Trafford. United desperately need to strengthen in other areas of the pitch should they wish to compete for European football and the domestic cups next season, with significant investment necessary to turn the corner.
Here are four players United should sign once Mbeumo’s arrival has been confirmed—although affording all of them looks impossible.
Diogo Costa
André Onana endured a dismal debut season with United and things only marginally improved for the Cameroon international last term. An injury has already derailed his preseason plans ahead of the new campaign, with his deputy Altay Bayındır having struggled to exude confidence when guarding the net in Onana’s place.
The goalkeeper position is considered an area which United could bolster this summer, with Emiliano Martínez having been touted as he edges closer to an Aston Villa exit. However, Porto’s Diogo Costa is another mooted target, and the 25-year-old would be an excellent addition.
Amorim knows his compatriot well given the regularity with which Porto and the manager’s former side Sporting CP have faced off in recent years, while Costa is also the undisputed No.1 for Portugal. He dazzled at last summer’s European Championship as he further enticed Europe’s elite clubs, while he also shone during this year’s UEFA Nations League finals en route to the trophy.
Costa is an excellent shot-stopper and penalty-saving machine, but he also boasts impressive distribution and command of his penalty area. He has room to improve given he still has at least a decade of football left in his legs, but he would prove an immediate upgrade on the error-prone Onana.
Gonçalo Inácio
Someone Amorim knows even more intimately than Costa is his former Sporting centre back Gonçalo Inácio. Another Portugal international, the versatile defender has been unbelievably consistent in his homeland since bursting into the Sporting team in 2020, making 213 appearances for the Lisbon giants in total—187 of which came under Amorim.
The left-footed 23-year-old is already accustomed to Amorim’s tactics and formation, making him the perfect addition to the United manager’s rearguard. Slotting in perfectly on the left-hand side of the back three, he’s shown the necessary skills in and out of possession to cope with Amorim’s demands. Inácio has been linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool in previous transfer windows and despite moves failing to materialise, he’s still capable of representing one of the continent’s giants.
He ranked in the top one per cent of central defenders in the Champions League last season for progressive passing distance covered per match, while he also featured in the top four per cent for passes completed per 90 among his positional peers. Out of possession, he sat in the top nine per cent for tackles completed and blocks.
United have some impressive centre back options but few—if any—can match the quality and authority of Inácio. With Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans having departed on free transfers, the Red Devils also find themselves short in the defensive department.
Carlos Baleba
One of United’s biggest flaws last season was their ineffective midfield. Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation means just two central midfielders were utilised, which often left the Red Devils overrun and overpowered in the engine room. They can ill afford to be so weak in such a crucial area of the pitch next term.
Kobbie Mainoo has immense potential and Manuel Ugarte could be transformed by Amorim in future years, but with Christian Eriksen having departed, Mason Mount struggling for form and Casemiro approaching 34, reinforcements are required centrally. Bruno Fernandes can operate in a deeper role but his lack of natural defensive instincts can leave United short when he features in the double pivot.
Rather than punt for one of world football’s elite names, United could simply look towards England’s south coast. Carlos Baleba would be an exceptional signing to help bolster their porous midfield, with the 21-year-old having blossomed into an astonishing prospect since arriving at Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023. Once again, the Seagulls have unearthed and nurtured a gem.
Baleba certainly wouldn’t come cheap but he would provide the bite, tenacity and defensive solidity that United are craving. He has proven integral to Brighton’s system, screening the back four impressively and proving incredibly press resistant in the heart of an attack-minded, risk-taking team.
Benjamin Šeško
Cunha and Mbeumo will undoubtedly boost United’s attacking output in 2025–26 after an extremely underwhelming campaign from an attacking standpoint. The duo are impressive creators and finishers, but neither are natural centre forwards and will instead likely operate in No.10 roles within Amorim’s formation.
After Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund endured woeful seasons last time out, United can’t afford such profligacy again. Signing a clinical and authoritative striker is essential business to conduct before the transfer window slams shut.
Having seemingly lost the Viktor Gyökeres race to Arsenal, United could turn to the Gunners’ other centre-forward target: Benjamin Šeško. The powerful and highly-rated RB Leipzig striker is one of Europe’s hottest prospects after several impressive seasons in Germany, with 39 goals in all competitions for his club across the past two terms.
The 6’5 colossus is renowned for his speed and industry, with huge potential to improve given he’s just 22 years old. While he would command another significant fee—around the £65-75 million mark—there can be no question marks over his athleticism and technical prowess. Whether he would be able avoid the same fate as other big-money signings at Old Trafford remains to be seen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Transfers Man Utd Still Need to Make After Sealing Bryan Mbeumo Deal.