New Manchester United owner wants two of the most exciting young stars in the world: report

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during the UEFA Champions League match between FC Bayern München and Manchester United at Allianz Arena on September 20, 2023 in Munich, Germany.
(Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Manchester United could be about to land two of the most exciting young superstars in world football, thanks to their new investor.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is waiting for the approval of his £1.3 billion bid for 25 per cent of Manchester United, the club he's supported all of his life. The INEOS billionaire will take care of the sporting side of the business – and that could mean a squad overhaul.

According to talkSPORT, Ratcliffe plans to install a sporting director, but already two new players have been linked with the Reds Devils.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Monaco ahead of the game with Nice

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to invest in Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)

Sport in Spain have claimed that Newcastle United want to rival Man United for the signing of Bayer Leverkusen superstar, Florian Wirtz, who is widely regarded as one of the best young footballers in Europe right now.

Furthermore, Athletic Bilbao star, Nico Williams, is a target on a free transfer, as cited by TEAMtalk.

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Should United manage to land both, it would be a huge statement of intent from Ratcliffe, who has criticised the club in the past for spending "dumb money".

Williams and Wirtz could theoretically replace Jadon Sancho and Antony, who have both hugely underwhelmed after landing at Old Trafford for over £150m combined. Sancho is currently exiled from the side, while Antony has only just rejoined it, following time away from the team to address allegations of assault. 

Nico Williams of Athletic Club celebrates after scoring the team's second goal during the LaLiga Santander match between RCD Espanyol and Athletic Club at RCDE Stadium on April 08, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

Nico Williams is on Manchester United's radar (Image credit: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Wirtz would no doubt be an expensive signing, though, given that he currently has a contract that runs until 2027. With Leverkusen flying high in the Bundesliga, they would not want to lose him and could command a similar fee to the £72 million they got for Kai Havertz.

Williams, however, is a free agent from next summer. 

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The bookies' favourites to become the next Manchester United manager have been revealed, should Erik ten Hag be sacked by the board.

An update on the Dutchman's future has also been provided by sources close to the club's hierarchy, as the pressure continues to mount. 

Meanwhile, David Beckham has explained that he never wanted to leave the club in 2003, but Sir Alex Ferguson "made up his mind".

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.