Manchester United are set for a busy summer in the transfer market but a new set of rules must be followed
Manchester United's minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe watches his team from the stands(Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite winning the FA Cup at the weekend, Manchester United are set for a summer of transition.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is gearing up for his first off-season running the club’s football operations following the completion of his minority investment earlier this year with his first big decision being whether to stick or twist with manager Erik ten Hag.
Regardless of whether or not the Dutchman remains in post, the club is likely to be busy in the transfer market this summer and according to The Sun, Ratcliffe has drawn up a strict list of transfer rules that the manager will have to follow.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Manchester United transfer 'rules'
Sir Jim Ratcliffe must make a decision over Erik ten Hag's future (Image credit: Getty Images)
As per the report, Manchester United’s transfer rules this summer will see the club look to improve on their recent track record in the market following a series of costly misfires in recent years.
The reported rules are:
No players over the age of 25 to be signed
No ‘Galacticos’
Technical director Jason Wilcox will set the style of play
The manager will be asked what positions he wants to sign, rather than individual players
The manager will then have a list of three potential signings per position to choose from
What will this mean for the club this summer?
Once a decision is made over the manager position, whoever is in charge will need to quickly form an effective working relationship with Wilcox.
A structure that sees the technical director take the lead on setting a style of play and identifying transfer targets is not a new thing, but Manchester United have been slow to move to this system in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
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Former Red Devils midfielder Darren Fletcher was named as the club’s first technical director back in 2021, but in Wilcox they now have a more experienced operator in the role and his position should more clearly defined in the new structure.
What is more interesting are the specific requirements when it comes to incoming players.
A lack of ‘Galacticos’ looks to indicate a shift away from huge transfer fees and big-money wage packets. The board’s refusal to enter the race for Kylian Mbappe this summer was an early indicator of this strategy.
By limiting the age of new signings to 25, it also means that the club will be looking to the future, buying players before they hit their peak years and would likely to have sell-on value at the end of a first contract with the club.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been linked with Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Names to be linked with the club this summer include the likes of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, Fulham’s soon-to-be out-of-contract centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, Bayer Leverkusen duo Edmond Tapsoba and Jeremie Frimpong and Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen - all of whom are 25 or younger.
Notably, Gleison Bremer, the Brazil and Juventus defender who has been heavily linked does not fit Ratcliffe’s criteria at 27 years old.
Had this 25 age limit been in place in recent years, the likes of Andre Onana, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani would not have been signed.
Red Devils fans will be hoping that these new set of rules will mean that the club’s transfer record will be improved, whoever the new manager is.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
