Man United’s transfer window: New midfield, Berrada’s call for Hall and final day frustration

For the first time in seven years, Manchester United declined the thrill of a deadline day signing, opting to end this window with the same discipline that has driven their decisions since June.

That climax has, though, led to disappointment in those fans who feel the club missed a major opportunity to build on Michael Carrick’s work last season by really strengthening the side.

Crucially, United go into the rest of the campaign with Luke Shaw as the only specialised senior left-back. No new face arrived in a position that was given plenty of internal consideration. Ultimately the club have kept their powder dry for another attempt at signing Lewis Hall from Newcastle next summer.

United did have opportunities to bring in competition for Shaw, even in the final 24 hours, to add to the list that includes Senne Lammens, Manuel Ugarte, Sofyan Ambrabat, Antony, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Edinson Cavani as deadline day deals.

United made a check with Manchester City in the afternoon on Rayan Ait-Nouri, who had been offered to them by the agent a few days ago. It would have been a dramatic and rare transfer across town, but City told United a loan would only be possible with an obligation-to-buy reaching several tens of millions. United had no interest in a permanent move so walked away.

United also placed a call with Jorge Mendes to check on the conditions of Alejandro Balde, who was an unused substitute for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano on Monday. But talks for the 22-year-old did not progress. United had already stepped away from a proposal for Ian Maatsen at Aston Villa. 

There is a thin line between exploring options as a precaution and acting desperately but United did not press the panic button and believe they have cover for Shaw in the shape of Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot, who can switch from the right, and in emergencies Lisandro Martinez, Carlos Baleba, and Patrick Dorgu, who is seen as a left-winger. Diego Leon, bought for an initial £3m rising to £7m last summer, is not in this conversation. He is 19 and acclimatising to under-21s football.

Harry Amass is also still in the building after United held firm on spending in that position.

Amass, 19, had interest from more than a dozen clubs across the window including Sporting in Portugal, Wolfsburg in Germany, and Celtic in Scotland, then in the Championship Stoke, Birmingham, Millwall, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, who saw a bid worth around £3.5million rejected. United wanted £6m.

Late on United decided they could countenance a loan, with Derby County making a proposal, but chose to keep Amass due to not bringing in a new left-back.

The wisdom of United’s decision will be tested if Shaw gets injured.

The one player they did try to sign on deadline was another midfielder. United reopened talks for Louis Page, the 18-year-old at Leicester, and advanced to a stage when a deal looked possible. The price rose sharply to more than £10m, which United entertained, before an impasse occurred over Leicester’s valuation, thought to be £12m plus £3m.

Page was named by Russell Martin in Leicester’s starting line-up for the League One visit by Plymouth and that was the end of the matter. Page played well and United are expected to revisit the situation. Page wanted to join United, having turned down Arsenal earlier in the summer.

Another deal that appeared close but fell through was Everton’s loan bid for Joshua Zirkzee, amid uncertainty over Folarin Balogun’s move from Monaco. Everton first made contact with United at 5pm and made an offer at 8pm. United were open to Zirkzee leaving — he has been pushing to go to get minutes — but decided it was too late to get a replacement so denied his departure. United sources suggested the proposal was worth less than the reported £10m including loan fee and wages. 

Some players felt a new centre-forward to share the load with Benjamin Sesko was needed, also allowing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to stay more often in their best positions.

So United ended the window with three new midfielders and a deputy goalkeeper, rather inviting the question of whether, to use Michael Carrick’s words, they have “pushed the boundaries”. The day after United faced Leeds United in Dublin, Carrick said: “There’s one or two areas where we’d like to improve. We are pretty clear that we need to keep pushing. There’s certain things we want to try and do, but it needs to be right.”

United went on to sign Baleba and end their spending at £155m, around £50m less than 12 months ago under Ruben Amorim despite now being in the Champions League.

The Athletic has spoken to multiple sources across the window to tell the story of a third summer under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s leadership, with a third different man in the dugout, which includes:

• Omar Berrada’s call to Newcastle counterpart on Lewis Hall
• Friction with West Ham’s Jack Sullivan over Matheus Fernandes
• Why Youri Tielemans was given a five-year contract
• How Ederson’s knee during medical in U.S. caused a switch
• The mixed messages United got on Myles Lewis-Skelly 

After using the 2025 summer transfer window to address attacking positions, United focussed attention on midfield this year.

They finished with a trio of new recruits in that part of the pitch, with Andrey Santos, Tielemans and Baleba arriving. But there were plenty of twists and turns on various targets along the way.

United initially had Elliot Anderson as No 1 on the list, negotiated deep on Fernandes, agreed a deal for Ederson, aspired for Aurelien Tchouameni, explored the cost of Alex Scott, considered Manu Kone, and showed interest in Lewis-Skelly. They declined to pursue Sandro Tonali, as Newcastle made plain he would cost £100m.

This reflects a wider policy of refusing to get drawn into bidding wars where the final price is at odds with their valuation of the player. For some in the industry, that is a mistake, meaning United are not acquiring the top talents necessary to achieve their ambition for a Premier League title by 2028. They remember the way United decided in 2023 against going for Declan Rice, who cost Arsenal £105m. 

After this summer, United are the only member of the traditional big six not to have surpassed the £100m mark for a single player and under Ratcliffe’s control, alongside the Glazer family, there are doubts about whether the club will commit to such a fee in the coming years. There is a theory, though, that bringing in several less expensive players rather than one standout will have a bigger impact on the squad.

United feel this restrained approach is necessary due to the financial picture at the club following two years without Champions League revenues, costly recruitment misses, and long-term Glazer debt. At the end of 2025, United had taken out £290million of their revolving credit facility, their highest-ever level of short-term lending. They have come away with three midfielders for a total cost of nearly £90m less than Manchester City have paid for two — in Anderson and Enzo Fernandez — and staff believe each one has the capacity to enhance the side. Adding bodies in that part of the pitch was essential given Casemiro’s exit and Manuel Ugarte’s serious knee injury. 

The final piece of the midfield rebuild was Baleba, who signed a year after United first explored the conditions of a transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion. United did more work on the move towards the end of last season, and appeared ready to strike, only to hit pause and pursue other options first.

There was even a sense of uncertainty over his arrival as recently as the weekend before United made their decisive move on Tuesday August 18. At that stage they were giving serious consideration to staging a proper bid for Lewis-Skelly. Earlier on in the summer United had been told, via intermediaries, that he could be available for around £45m, and such a prospect held appeal at Old Trafford. He had played the entire Champions League final in midfield but started only two Premier League games by January and then didn’t feature at all in the top-flight until April. So his position under Mikel Arteta appeared precarious.

The situation was complicated, though, by Lewis-Skelly’s status as an Arsenal academy product with a strong connection to the fans. He also wanted to stay. It would have been a dramatic transfer, with PR implications. The potential price also rose significantly, with a figure of £70m communicated to some close to the process, although United were never informed of an updated figure.

Still, there was a suspicion late in the window that Arsenal might be required to push out Lewis-Skelly to raise funds for new signings, with Erzi Konsa arriving for £51m and a big-money move for Julian Alvarez being explored.

United made the decision to step away from talks exactly a fortnight before deadline when receiving word that Arsenal’s position had hardened. New midfield signingBruno Guimaraes had by that stage suffered a groin injury, although this turned out to be minor.

So United finally turned to Baleba and the deal was wrapped up relatively quickly. They had reopened lines of communication in the days beforehand and were aware of the amount it would take to complete a deal, with negotiations centring on how much would be fixed. The £70m total package, including £5m in add-ons, is a big reduction on the price being spoken about last summer, when Brighton wanted equivalent to the sale of Moises Caicedo, who moved to Chelsea for £115m.

There were observers last year who thought back then could be the opportune time for Brighton to sell, following two standout seasons. Baleba’s form suffered after the interest from United and some injury issues. He made clear he wanted to pursue the opportunity to play for United and Brighton came to the table.

United waited to see the extent of the ankle ligament injury he sustained at the start of August and were reassured the issue was not significant. Brighton had hoped Baleba would be training with teammates for the Chelsea game on Sunday before a potential return to action in September. United may wish to take things slower, given Baleba is new into the club and has missed parts of pre-season, but there are hopes he plays before the season’s first international break.

Baleba offers balance to United’s midfield, through his athleticism, tackling, and left-footedness. Signing a player who can cover the left side of the pitch was something United desired, hence also looking at Lewis-Skelly and Eduardo Camavinga.

In this period, during the month between Tielemans and Baleba joining, United considered signing an outright left-back, principally Hall.

Mason Mount was performing well in pre-season, and staff including Carrick felt Hall might be needed more, in providing competition for Shaw, than another midfielder.

Man United looked at a deal around the £50m mark for Hall, who turns 22 next week, and at that point believed a move to Old Trafford, and Champions League football, would have held appeal to him.

But the pursuit significantly slowed down about three weeks before deadline when chief executive Berrada placed a call to Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson to directly address the matter at the top level and was told Hall was not for sale. The club essentially accepted this stance.

Berrada, right pictured alongside Wilcox, placed a call to Newcastle’s chief executive (Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

After selling Anthony Gordon, Tonali and Guimaraes, Newcastle would not countenance losing another key player, given rising fan sentiment, nor did they need to financially by that stage of the summer. Had Man United tried earlier it could have been different but at that stage they were still manoeuvring through midfielders. 

Man United did not move to sign another left-back of major profile, to keep the path clear for Hall in future. The situation is expected to be revisited next summer at the latest.

Before all that, in the final week of June, it looked like United were closing in on Fernandes from West Ham. But this was a deal that escalated beyond expectations and ultimately, United walked away from it.

Mendes, his agent, was a central figure, given United believed Fernandes would cost in the region of £50m and the player wanted to join them, before the price hiked to £85m and he became keen on the prospect of joining Tottenham Hotspur. The Athletic reported on this unforeseen increase at the start of June. At United, there was a sense of the goalposts shifting. Mendes got the best financial deal for West Ham and Fernandes.

Still, United were prepared to commit to an £85m package for the 21-year-old, using add-ons, but Spurs offered the full amount guaranteed and preferential payment terms. West Ham are set to get the £85m in half the time of United’s proposal.

There were also salary considerations. Fernandes will earn more at Tottenham than he would have at United. He would not have broken United’s salary structure but he would have been at the top end which, for a new, young signing might have upset the squad dynamic. Roberto Di Zerbi’s rhetoric was also persuasive for Fernandes.

Tottenham surprised people with their spending capacity, which represented a gear shift. Owner Joe Lewis has loosened the purse strings, in a summer when he auctioned off an art collection for £250m at Sotherby’s, the most valuable single-owner collection ever sold in the UK. There are some who know both clubs who feel United’s policy now is reminiscent of that taken by Tottenham previously, in buying players below the top rung hoping to find gems. Each deal has also been relatively straightforward to complete, these people say.

At West Ham, interim chief executive officer Karim Virani handled talks on Fernandes, but at the end director Jack Sullivan was also involved. He was said to have given an abrupt answer about Tottenham’s success when United made a final enquiry on the terms of the deal, leading to some friction between the clubs.

On June 2, United agreed a €45m deal with Atalanta for Ederson. He was on United’s list last summer, and had been tracked for years, but seen as too expensive. United felt he could come in for pre-season but then he was called up by Brazil for the World Cup as a late replacement for the injured Wesley. 

This meant United conducted the first part of his medical in the United States. Staff had been aware of a previous knee problem but these fresh results indicated a worse issue than anticipated. United had to wait until Brazil were knocked out of the World Cup on July 6 for Ederson to fly to London to conduct a more thorough examination. 

They had, though, already started to look at alternatives, with intermediaries being alerted, and Chelsea’s Andrey Santos emerged as the frontrunner, with United’s data team presenting positive reports. On July 8, United agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea, who were willing to sell the 22-year-old Brazilian.

People in the industry expected United to call off the Ederson deal but they didn’t until they had a second signing, both from a negotiation standpoint on new targets and, possibly, for PR purposes, with fans agitated over a lack of new faces.

On July 13, United triggered the £35m release clause in Tielemans’ Aston Villa contract, managing to pull off a surprise signing. People at United were pleased at keeping the Tielemans transfer under wraps until the final stages. That secrecy has been a theme of United’s window. As well as pursuing various targets, and genuinely changing approach as the summer went on, there has been a concerted effort to keep the circle tight, so United’s exact course of action has been hard to predict, even for those involved.

United knew about Tielemans’ clause at the start of the window, and kept it in their back pocket should the circumstances arise. They watched the World Cup as Tielemans impressed and, on Friday July 10, after Belgium had been knocked out by Spain, began work to complete the deal. Speed was of the essence to not alert other clubs to their intentions. 

Tielemans had impressed at the World Cup (Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images)

United agreed to a contract running to 2031 for the 29-year-old because he was already on a high salary at Villa, having signed on a free from Leicester in 2023. Villa offered an extension that would keep Tielemans at the club for at least another three seasons, so United going to five was a way of maintaining his overall earnings but spreading the cost over a longer span of time.

United never did publicly call off their Ederson deal. Instead it was the player who signalled the end in mid-July by signing a new contract at Atalanta. “I honestly don’t know what happened,” said the 27-year-old. “The tests went well, I don’t know what changed. I’ve been with Atalanta for four years and always played.”

Over the course of June United looked into the cost of signing Scott, 22, from Bournemouth. Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s head of football operations, told United the player was not for sale and the situation went cool at the start of July.

Kone, 25, had a good World Cup for France, and United weighed up the pros and cons, but decided against a move.

Another French international held much greater appeal. United were ready to progress work on Tchouameni, 26, had Real Madrid given indication he could be sold. Christopher Vivell, United’s director of recruitment, was seen watching El Clasico at the Nou Camp in May. There was curiosity at Real not officially announcing Tchouameni’s new contract, which was widely reported in July. But even so the financials of a deal were, realistically, beyond United’s reach.

Barcelona declining to take up the €30m buy option for Marcus Rashford, meaning also his £17m per year salary stayed on the books, impacted United’s budget. So too did the serious knee injury to Manuel Ugarte, who would likely have been sold.

Zirkzee was the subject of an offer from Everton (Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Zirkzee staying also deprived United of transfer income, which is why a move for Ollie Watkins, who made the final two for striker targets last summer alongside Sesko, never materialised.

Zirkzee turned down a loan move to Fiorentina, saw Juventus go for Nick Woltemade instead, and stayed at United despite Everton’s late bid and his wish to leave for regular football.

In terms of money raised, United did complete the sale of Rasmus Hojlund for £38m, albeit that goes into 2025-26 accounts, Radek Vitek for an initial £7m, and Toby Collyer for an initial £3m. They also recouped around £11m from Mason Greenwood’s transfer from Marseille to Fenerbahce due to a significant sell-on clause, and they have installed the same again for Vitek and Collyer. If Vitek realises the add-ons in his deal to Middlesbrough, topping out at £14m, it would be the biggest sale of a United player never to have made his first-team debut.

Karl Darlow arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United to deputise for Lammens, with Altay Bayindir going on loan at Celta in La Liga.  

United did look at making more signings. Strikers were considered but there was no approach for a third summer in a row for Danny Welbeck, with United declining to enter talks even when knowing he was heading for Chelsea.

Mendes came back into the picture when United held discussions on two clients at left-back. In the final week of the window, United discussed a move for Balde. Jorge Salinas, the 19-year-old who has a €16m release clause in his Racing Santander contract, was also considered. But United declined to bid.

One teenager who did arrive was Tynan Thompson, the 18-year-old left winger who joined from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £4m plus £4m in add-ons. The deal for Page grew legs when his cousin, a United fan, posted pictures from the directors’ box for the Ipswich game. 

United were discussing a deal for Page on deadline day (Getty Images)

The policy for recruiting emerging talents across the country is led by Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, who sees value in players on the cusp of the first-team. Wilcox is also a critical voice on the wider transfer strategy, and has calls with agents and other sporting directors.

So too does Matt Hargreaves, United’s director of negotiations, while it was a first summer window for Kyle McAuley, head of senior scouting.

In the Old Trafford press suite after United beat Ipswich 5-2, Carrick hinted at the financial background to his club’s business. “I think the situation that we’re in, the business we’ve managed to do, I’m pleased with,” he said.

He did say United would be “open” to adding, but ultimately there was no deadline day drama. That was a step at recalibrating some of the expensive acquisitions that have come late in previous windows and not worked out, but it remains to be seen how his squad holds up once the Champions League kicks off.