Heading into the Summer transfer window is always exciting, the clubs looking to fix any problems with their squads, strengthen already impressive teams or provide more depth to allow for more options throughout the every busy seasons.
With the new era at Manchester United, with football operations now falling under control of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, we’re expected to see a number of changes at the club, both on and off the pitch.
Recent reports have been speculating on the future of Erik ten Hag as manager at Old Trafford with the FA Cup win, sealing two trophies in two years for the Dutchman at United, hopefully doing enough to save him.
However, on the pitch, there are now seven players who are now approaching the final year of their contracts.
Big name defenders Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, along with newbie Willy Kambwala, all have contracts set to expire in June 2025.
Maguire, after joining United from Leicester in 2019 for €87 million, has had a decorated time at United, putting on the captains armband numerous times across his 206 appearances in all competitions. Recently Maguire has been one of ten Hag’s men to secure both trophies won by the Dutchman, with the 2022/23 League Cup and 2023/24 FA Cup being lifted by the Englishman.
However, despite that, Maguire has had countless criticism during his stay at United and has had a mixed reception to his stay in Manchester. It is believed that Manchester United accepted a bid from West Ham United last summer for the player, only for Maguire to turn the move down. He’s since fought his way back into the United fold and became a reliable force in a defence that struggled with injuries to key players throughout the year. Whilst his contract ends next June, United do have the option to extend by another year.
An option that unfortunately does not apply to Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka with these clauses being triggered in December, with the club expected to listen to offers for the two this summer.
Lindelof joined United in 2017 from Benfica back in 2017 for €35 million and has become a key asset at Old Trafford with 486 appearances, 9 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, even winning the Swedish Footballer of the Year award in the process in 2018.
Wan-Bissaka joined at the same time as Maguire in 2019 from Crystal Palace for €55 million and is another of ten Hag’s decorated men, with the Dutchman relying on his this year to cover the injury issues faced in United’s defence, experiencing a few injuries himself.
Young defender Kambwala has managed to break into the first-team this year, and whilst he’s only made eight appearances, he is thought to be in discussions over a new deal.
Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay bring the list to six. Eriksen is a veteran of the England Premier League having played at Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and United. Whilst it’s expected that United will listen to offers that would take Eriksen away from the club, its thought that the extension clause in McTominay’s contract will be activated to keep the academy graduate around for another year.
McTominay was heavily linked with a move away from the club last summer, with the likes of West Ham United interested in signing him as well as alleged interest from German giants Bayern Munich. However, the Scotland international has ended up becoming a key player for ten Hag and has regularly chipped in with important goals throughout the season. His tally of 10 goals has him joint third in the scoring charts at the club for the campaign.
The final name in the list is Amad Diallo, who joined United from Atalanta in 2021. Whilst Amad has had a lack of opportunities at Old Trafford this season, reports suggest that he still has a one-year extension which could be triggered, keeping him at the club a little longer. His form in fixtures towards the end of the season have shown enough to suggest that he can make the cut at Old Trafford. It’s now just a case of seeing whether he can kick on next season.
With such an extensive list of players coming into the final year of their contract, it’s clear that some of the names mentioned above will be moved on in the summer. How many that will be remains to be seen.
