Manchester United to sign 'future Mbappe', in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first transfer window: report

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and founder of Ineos Group Holdings Plc, following a Bloomberg Television interview at The Grenadier pub in London, UK, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. "If you're in the automotive world, you've got a responsibility to try and improve the world's carbon footprint," Ratcliffe said.
(Image credit: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has outlined his proposed changes to the transfer policy at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have seen a number of expensive stars fail to deliver on their lofty promise in recent years leading to an inquest from the incoming INEOS group.

It appears that the club's days of splashing the cash on established world-beaters are over, dislodged by the new view of buying young talent and developing them into the world's best.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: Antony of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on October 29, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Antony has struggled for form since his £85 million move from Ajax. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Speaking on The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast, Ratcliffe explained: "The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They [Manchester United] have done that if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money.

"The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club and make sure we get recruitment right. That's such a vital part of running a football club, getting that right."

PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 14: Kylian Mbappé of PSG in action during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Playoff first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Sociedad at Parc des Princes on February 14, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Liewig - Corbis/Getty Images)

Manchester United want the next Mbappe (Image credit: Getty Images)

He added: "I would rather find the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It's not that clever to go and sign Mbappe, anyone could figure that one out.

"What's more challenging is to find the next Mbappe, the next Bellingham, the next Roy Keane."

The last few years have seen Man United lean closer to this proposed policy behind the scenes, with Alejandro Garnacho, Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez all signed to the academy from abroad for smaller fees and developed at Carrington.

Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho.

Alejandro Garnacho has established himself as a key player this season. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Looking even further back, exciting left-back Harry Amass was signed from Watford aged just 16 and has already spent time training with the first team, while exciting midfielder Jack Fletcher, son of United hero Darren, was signed from rivals Manchester City last summer.

If widespread reports are to be believed, transfer targets such as Jarred Branthwaite, Michael Olise and Benfica's Joao Neves only add to the notion that a refreshing change looks imminent at Old Trafford, with Ratcliffe spearheading an approach more similar to the early days of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign.

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James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.