Manchester United supporters likely came away with a positive impression from the first half of their club’s first season under new manager Erik ten Hag, feeling that one or two key acquisitions in January could allow them to make a Top 4 push and get back into the UEFA Champions League.
Life under Ten Hag has been bumpy at times, but the team continues to rack up results as the Red Devils sit fourth in the Premier League table following their latest 3-0 win over Bournemouth with realistic hopes of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition.
The January transfer window offers a new chance to bolster the squad and fill holes in the lineup. United, like many other top Premier League teams, have questions regarding the current midfield makeup, as Christian Eriksen’s deployment in a deeper role alongside Casemiro has produced mixed results. The biggest need, however, is at striker, with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Red Devils also may look to offload some excess weight at winger, with Antony and Marcus Rashford in good form plus positive signs from young Anthony Elanga and Alejandro Garnacho. But Jadon Sancho continues to struggle.
Latest Manchester United transfers
Players in
| Date | Player | Club | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6. 2023 | Jack Butland | Crystal Palace | Loan until summer 2023 |
Players out
| Date | Player | Club | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22. 2022 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Free agent | Contract termination |
| Jan 1. 2023 | Martin Dubravka | Newcastle | Newcastle recalled from loan |
Latest Manchester United transfer news, rumors
The Sporting News brings you a full roundup of all the latest Manchester United transfer news as the January window approaches.
There are questions regarding Manchester United’s financial flexibility during this transfer window, given the Glazer family is actively seeking to sell the club. They could seek to tighten the purse strings in the hopes of keeping the books clean for the sale.
Nonetheless, Man United continue to be linked with some of the stars of the most recent World Cup.
- Man United will have to set a new transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez (The Sun)
- United considering Emiliano Martinez to replace David de Gea (Football Insider)
- PSG are looking to make a move for Man United midfielder Fred (Express)
- United are preparing to submit a bid for Lyon full-back Malo Gusto (Media Foot)
MORE: Timeline of return for Manchester United players from World Cup rest
Man U wait on Besiktas after Weghorst deal agreed with Burnley
It appears Erik ten Hag’s search for a new back-up striker may be nearing its end, provided that Besiktas are willing to play ball.
Widespread reports on January 7 indicated United were close to the signing of Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley. Two days later, Miguel Delaney of The Independent said a deal between the two English clubs had been reached over a loan for the rest of the season.
However, now it’s up to Burnley and Besiktas to come to an arrangement. Weghorst’s loan with the Turkish Super Lig side runs until the end of the season and they are under no great pressure to terminate the deal early without some form of compensation.
Following reports of a possible €2.5 million break clause in his loan deal, Besiktas issued a statement on January 9 to deny any such get-out option was included. The club also insisted it was “completely untrue” that Weghorst would definitely leave, stressing that their decision would be final.
One thing that might speed up the process is the fact Besiktas are reportedly interested in signing Vincent Aboubakar, with the Cameroon international reportedly to become a free agent by terminating his contract with Al Nassr. Interestingly, Aboubakar is only in this situation because of Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at the Saudi club, a deal that took them over their quota for foreign players.
Netherlands international Weghorst, who came off the bench to score twice for his country against Argentina at the World Cup, has scored eight goals in 16 league games for Besiktas following a loan move last July. His most recent goal came in the 2-1 win over Kasimpasa on January 7, after which he was seen appearing to bid farewell to the fans.
🦅 Wout Weghorst, gol sevincini taraftarlarıyla paylaştı! #OlmazsanOlmaz pic.twitter.com/fELcv2D0Yc
— beIN SPORTS Türkiye (@beINSPORTS_TR) January 7, 2023
However, Weghorst’s agent, Simon Cziommer, seemingly attempted to downplay the evening’s event, saying: “Everything is fine. There is no problem. Wout just made a celebration.”
With United hamstrung in the January market by a lack of funds, they have been forced to explore more creative, cost-effective options to find a back-up striker for Anthony Martial. It would appear that Weghorst is the solution to their problems, and MailOnline claims the 30-year-old has “made it clear” that he wants to join United.
Rio Ferdinand: Harry Kane to come in, Harry Maguire to leave
Former United captain Rio Ferdinand has made his view clear over the futures of centre-back Harry Maguire and potential transfer target Harry Kane.
“Harry Maguire’s got to move,” the pundit told his Vibe with Five channel after Ten Hag picked Luke Shaw at centre-half ahead of the England regular. “I think he stays because of the games and they can’t get someone else in. He plays in the cup games.”
Ferdinand apologised to Tottenham fans as he added that top scorer Harry Kane should join United because he is not going to win silverware with Spurs.
“You’re going to have to pay big money for Harry Kane,” said Ferdinand. “But at least you know you’re getting a man who gets 20-to-25 goals a season. So Harry Kane can’t be going anywhere but Man United.”
Jack Butland completes loan move
Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland has completed a loan move to Old Trafford until the end of the season.
Following Newcastle’s decision to recall Martin Dubravka on New Year’s Day from his loan spell, Erik ten Hag is in need of a new No.2 to support David de Gea.
The Red Devils announced Butland’s arrival on January 6 with the 29-year-old yet to feature for the Eagles this season and his contract expiring in the summer.
Welcome to United, @JackButland_One ✍️🔴#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 6, 2023
Man United renew Frenkie de Jong interest
The Frenkie de Jong saga through the summer of 2022 was long, arduous, and ultimately fruitless for Manchester United as they failed to convince the Dutch midfielder to make the move.
According to Graeme Bailey of 90min, Man United remain interested in De Jong and are attempting to reignite their pursuit this winter.
De Jong began this season as a backup at Barcelona, coming off the bench in three of the team’s first four matches, but has grown into a more consistent role as the season progressed. He started in eight of the team’s last 10 league matches, and was a key component of the Netherlands squad in the 2022 World Cup.
The 90min report claims that while De Jong held publicly that he never entertained the move to Old Trafford last summer, the actual roadblock was “Barcelona’s repayment of millions of euros in deferred wages throughout the pandemic period back to De Jong,” and this yet unresolved issue remains the biggest barrier to securing a move.
However, Xavi has recently confirmed he doesn’t want De Jong or any other player to leave his side this month.
Barça president Laporta on de Jong and Man United: “I’ve never wanted to sell Frenkie de Jong. He has to be a pillar of the team”, tells BarçaTV 🚨🇳🇱 #MUFC
“January signings? We did the work in the summer. There are no indications of having to do any deal now”. #FCB pic.twitter.com/iocIowEjBX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 22, 2022
Manchester United have competition for Alexis Mac Allister
Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had a sensational World Cup, becoming an unexpected component of the Argentina title run. This has caused a flurry of rumors to pop up around the 23-year-old midfielder who has scored five goals in 14 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Mac Allister just recently signed a new Brighton contract in October that runs through the summer of 2025, but that may not be enough to ward off outside interest. According to Spanish tabloid Fichajes, there is interest on the Manchester United side that could play out this winter.
The report states there will be serious competition from Arsenal for Mac Allister’s signature, and this could be a continuing saga through the entire winter window.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber insists the club have no intention of selling and as of Jan. 2 he confirmed no contact had been made with any interested parties.
🚨#EXCL • Manchester United and Arsenal are monitoring the situation of Brighton’s Argentine player Alexis Mac Allister.
🇦🇷 🟦 #BHAFC 🟥 #MUFC 🟥 #AFC pic.twitter.com/kAip3vnU25— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) December 20, 2022
Watch Manchester United in Premier League 2022/23
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — |
fuboTV |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, BT Sport | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
fuboTV, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fuboTV in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
