Manchester United have four Premier League midfielders on their transfer shortlist as Sir Jim Ratcliffe seeks to fix a midfield “imbalance”.

The Red Devils spent over ￡200million in the summer transfer window, completely overhauling their attack with the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

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Man Utd’s reported midfield targets for summer 2026

• Carlos Baleba, Brighton (Transfermarkt value: €60m/￡52m)
• Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest (€60m/￡52m)
• Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace (€60m/￡52m)
• Joao Gomes, Wolves (€40m/￡34.6m)

Their busy window has resulted in an improvement on the pitch, though Ruben Amorim lost his job last month.

Manchester Unitedwere expected to sign a midfielder last summer but couldn’t afford to do so, leaving Amorim with Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte as his only natural centre-midfield options, with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount capable of filling in.

Casemiro will leave Old Trafford when his contract expires this summer, making the addition of at least one midfielder even more pressing.

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Michael Carrick’s side did attempt to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton in the final weeks of the summer window but were not prepared or able to meet the Seagulls’ ￡100m asking price.

Baleba remains an option for the 2026 summer window, but his performances for Albion this season mean United are also considering Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Interestingly, Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes has also been thrown into the mix, possibly due to similarities with the departing Casemiro.

Ratcliffe could sanction two midfield signings for Man Utd

Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett provided an update on United’s transfer plans on deadline day, stating that Ratcliffe could sanction the signings of two midfielders at the end of the season.

With a quiet deadline day expected for United, Dorsett told Sky Sports News:

“Midfield is where Man Utd feel they will focus the bulk of their spend in the summer. The way it was explained to me was: ‘if all of the club’s big targets became available in January they would jump at it, but not by paying over the odds’.

“Most clubs feel if you go for a big name in January (unless they are due to be out of contract), you pay a premium.

“Carlos Baleba?at Brighton is on their list,?Elliot Anderson?at Nottingham Forest, they like?Adam Wharton,?and?Joao Gomes?at Wolves so there’s a number of options. They may even do two.

“Window by window, they are prioritising areas of the team. It’s a very data-led approach. Last summer the priority was to score more goals so that’s why they pumped ￡280m into three forward players.

“Now they are wanting to solve the next imbalance and are going to address midfield. I get the impression Anderson is top of the list but we’re talking over ￡100m.”

United are next in action at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

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