Manchester United will be looking to get more business done before the summer transfer window closes in two weeks’ time.
Under new permanent head coach Michael Carrick, the Red Devils have signed three players, with their main priority at the beginning of the window to add two new central midfielders fulfilled.
After looking like they were going to be priced out of the market for their top targets, with Elliot Anderson making the move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for £116million and Mateus Fernandes moving from West Ham to Tottenham for £85million, United eventually got deals over the line for Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
They also brought goalkeeper Karl Darlow in on a free transfer from Leeds United.
Luke Shaw enjoyed a monopoly of starts at Manchester United
The new Premier League season is less than a week away from getting underway now and getting any more new signings in in time for the big kick-off looks unlikely.
After bringing in two midfielders, the next priority for United appeared to be a left-back, and that need was laid bare by United’s former manager Ruben Amorim on Saturday.
Amorim was sacked by the United hierarchy in January, to be replaced by Carrick, initially on an interim basis. And the Englishman turned United’s fortunes around, guiding the club back to the UEFA Champions League, finishing third in the Premier League and ending the season with the best record in the calendar year of 2026 so far.
The left-back at Old Trafford under both Amorim and Carrick was Luke Shaw, with the Englishman starting every single Premier League match in 2025/26. The problem is he does not have much competition for his spot in the team.
Left-backs linked with United
Lewis Hall, Newcastle
David Raum, RB Leipzig
Archie Brown, Fenerbahce
Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest
United have been linked with a big-money move to sign Lewis Hall this summer, although, having lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle are reluctant to sanction any more departures.
United were briefly offered the chance to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal, but that move looks dead in the water too.
United’s need for a left-back was highlighted by Amorim though as his AC Milan side beat his former players 4-2 in a pre-season friendly in Poland.
Shaw has not covered himself in glory during pre-season
Shaw was once again the left-back of choice for Carrick, but he struggled to impart his game on the Italian side.
In the Manchester Evening News’ player ratings, Shaw was handed a four out of ten – the worst performer on the day – with the publication saying:
Given a going over by Chukwueze and ironically struggled to understand Amorim’s system and how he should approach going up against the wing-back.
Shaw got one mark higher in the Sun’s ratings. “Was left hopelessly outnumbered at the back post for Milan’s first goal, and there were some occasions in the second half that Heaven and Santos had to fill in to cover for him. Other than that, he failed to make an impact,” they said.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
A move for United to sign Hall has been described as “very, very unlikely” by MEN reporter Tyrone Marshall, but the rumours with any other left-backs have dried up somewhat.
The likes of David Raum, Archie Brown and Neco Williams have all been linked, but United will go into the start of the 2026/27 campaign with Shaw as their starting option once more and that could be a big mistake if pre-season is anything to go by.
A popular WWE Superstar may have wrestled their final match for the company after being written off television last month, according to a new report.
Former four-time women’s world champion Bayley last wrestled on WWE television when she lost to Lyra Valkyria at Saturday Night’s Main Event on the 18th of July.
On the following episode of WWE Raw, Bayley was seemingly eliminated from storylines when Lyra claimed to have run the 37-year-old out of the promotion.
Curiously, Bayley has wrestled for WWE since, most recently appearing on a live event in her home state of California on July 26th.
However, far from wanting to clear up speculation about her future, the veteran has played into the rumours on social media. She recently took to Instagram, reposting a fan’s ‘Where’s Bayley’ sign to her story on the platform.
Even more controversially, Bayley posted a video hinting that she may join rival promotion All Elite Wrestling [AEW]. The clip showed her training alongside current AEW star Mercedes Mone (previously Sasha Banks in WWE). The montage was also set to a song entitled ‘All In’, which is the name of one of AEW’s biggest pay-per-view shows.
If she is simply trying to hype up her eventual return to WWE, it appears that officials within the company weren’t aware of the plan. Per a report from WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, the video did not “land well with everyone” and it was viewed by some backstage in WWE as “eyebrow-raising.”
Much-Loved WWE Superstar Yet To Decide on Their Future
Ultimately, though, the decision of whether she remains with WWE lies with Bayley herself. Per the latest reports, a new contract remains on the table and the choice of whether to re-sign is said to be “entirely up to her.”
Bayley signed her first WWE contract in December 2012, ultimately making it to the main roster four years later. It is believed that her current deal still has several months to run, meaning that, should she decide to leave WWE, she likely won’t be able to debut elsewhere until early 2027.
WWE has left the door open for Bayley to return, with a natural storyline with Valkyria waiting if she does commit to a new deal.
Rodri is set for Barcelona after Manchester City agreed a €76.5m deal in principle, and City are already working on their midfield rebuild.
Ben Jacobs breaks down Manchester City’s advanced talks for Ayyoub Bouaddi and explains why a fresh move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez remains possible following Rodri’s departure.
There are also major updates across the transfer market, including Aston Villa’s move for Zion Suzuki, Juventus choosing Guglielmo Vicario over Emi Martinez, Liverpool’s ongoing Bradley Barcola situation and Al-Hilal’s interest in Chelsea winger Pedro Neto.
Plus, the latest on West Ham, Sunderland and Ipswich as Premier League clubs accelerate their business ahead of the new season.
Manchester United have no interest in allowing Bruno Fernandes to leave the club this summer despite interest from Galatasaray, GIVEMESPORT sources understand.
Fernandes’ future has been in the spotlight throughout the summer, with the Red Devils’ midfielder having a year left on his contract. He previously turned down a mouth-watering £65 million contract proposal to join Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal last summer.
The 31-year-old later insisted that he wanted to stay at United because of the difficult situation they found themselves in. His team finished 15th in the previous campaign, and he told Wayne Rooney that he didn’t want to jump ship during a crisis.
Last season, the Old Trafford outfit bounced back and sealed Champions League qualification after finishing third. INEOS handed Michael Carrick the managerial job full-time and these factors were thought to have led to Fernandes staying put and even signing a new contract.
Galatasaray Ready Offer For Man Utd’s Fernandes
via Reuters
GIVEMESPORT sources understand that Galatasaray are ready to test the waters with an offer of £42.8 million including add-ons for Fernandes. The Turkish giants are prepared to offer the Portugal international a lucrative four-year contract.
Fernandes has not indicated to United he wants to leave to date, and the club are not looking to engage with any club over a sale. Their stance is that he is not available for any price with just days until the new campaign begins.
The Portugal international remains Carrick’s most important player heading into his first season as permanent head coach. A release clause in his current contract, worth £55.6m, expired in July, meaning interested clubs must now make offers for the player.
Man Utd transfer targets
Given that Fernandes turned down a more lucrative offer from Al-Hilal last year, it might not be a hugely concerning situation for the Red Devils. He has the chance to captain Carrick’s team in a new Premier League era, which is perhaps the most open it has been since the now-departed Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City back in 2016.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
INEOS Need To Get Fernandes Future Sorted
Galatasaray’s interest in Fernandes is a wake-up call for United to sort out their skipper’s contract. While his current deal does include the option of a further year, heading into a season with his future still the subject of speculation is something INEOS should look to avoid.
Perhaps the higher-ups are prepared to part ways next summer but it doesn’t make much sense given he’s just enjoyed the best season of any post-Sir Alex Ferguson player. His record-breaking assist numbers prove he is the one whom they should be looking to build the team around.
Carrick made his feelings clear during pre-season when asked about Fernandes’ future (via BBC Sport):
“Every good team has players that have made a major impact. That’s how it is. Bruno has had that for a period of time here. We want to keep pushing and want to get the best out of Bruno and the team around him… As much as the performances, it’s how he has been around the group, how he leads and takes time to help others, especially the younger players. That comes into play.”
Bruno Fernandes (Premier League 2025-26)
Total
Appearances (Starts)
35 (35)
Goals
9
Assists
21
Goal Involvements (G+A)
30
Penalty Goals
4
Shots (On Target)
85 (24)
Touches
2,689
Pass Accuracy
82%
Corners Taken
90
Discipline
5 Yellows, 0 Reds
United are in a strong negotiating position but so far there has been no agreement over an extension for Fernandes. He’s been with the club since January 2020, arriving from Sporting CP in a £68m deal.
