Man United source: top manager targets told summer transfer plans after talks held
Man United are telling the leading contenders to be their new manager that the club will be operating on a sustainable basis in this summer's market, Football Insider can exclusively reveal.
The Premier League giants did not sign any players in January after, as revealed by this site last December, letting interim boss Ralf Rangnick know he could only make loan signings.
A Man United source has told Football Insider that the club's owners are taking a similarly pragmatic approach to the main summer window.
They have told top candidates to be their permanent manager during preliminary talks that the club will only buy who they can comfortably afford this summer.
There will be not be the kind of £200million-plus spending spree many fans are calling for to overhaul the squad and compete with Man City and Liverpool next season.
The club hierarchy led by the Glazer family, who own the club, want a sensible and measured financial approach.
This means there are likely to be only tweaks to the current team rather than the kind of big spending likely to be seen at Newcastle United and Aston Villa, among others.
Nevertheless, elite players will be targeted, especially if room is made on the wage bill through some high-earning departures.
United recruited three A-list stars last summer led by the headline arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
United are currently working behind the scenes on recruiting a manager to replace Rangnick at the end of the season.
The news of a pragmatic approach will come as a surprise and disappointment to supporters eager to see their club exploit their riches.
They want more drastic surgery to a team that has underperformed once again this season.