01 August 2023 , 07:28
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Manchester United could finish the summer transfer window as the busiest Premier League side amid links to two new centre-backs as Harry Maguire's future is cast into doubt.
The Red Devils have already landed the signatures of Mason Mount and Andre Onana this summer, two players that are expected to come in and immediately start for Erik ten Hag's side. Another mega-money addition is on the way as Ramsus Hojlund is set to undergo his United medical on Tuesday ahead of his £72million switch from Atalanta.
That would take United's summer spending to north of £150m so far, and yet another two new players have found themselves as the subject of links to Ten Hag's side, as per MailSport. Central defender Jean-Clair Todibo has enjoyed a stellar two years at Ligue 1 outfit Nice and is now on the Red Devils' radar.
Still only 23, Todibo is significantly younger than many of United's current defensive options and Ten Hag may like the idea of adding some youth to his back-line. If the France under-20 international were to arrive at Old Trafford, it's unlikely he'd be a starter right away.
It is a similar story for the second defender United have been linked with - Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite, who is believed to have caught the eye of Red Devils scouts while he was on loan at PSV Eindhoven last season.
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Both of these deals are heavily dependent on whether Maguire remains at the club beyond the close of the window this summer. To say the defender has endured a difficult time of it of late would be putting it mildly.
Maguire was recently stripped of the captain's armband by Ten Hag, who then proceeded to hand it to Bruno Fernandes instead. If that wasn't bad enough, the much-maligned centre-back was then the victim of a furious on-pitch outburst from new team-mate Andre Onana.
Harry Maguire has had a difficult pre-season with Man United (AP)Mirror Football is now on Threads! You can follow us here.
The Cameroon goalkeeper has only been a United player for a mere matter of weeks but still felt comfortable enough to berate Maguire during the pre-season friendly defeat by Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.
After the game, Onana was in no mood to soften his stance on the incident with Maguire, telling reporters: ‘"I demand a lot of my team-mates because also they demand a lot, they trust in me.
‘"They play a lot of balls back to me, so I have to give them confidence and I want my players to give them to me to give me confidence. I demand [from] them a lot and I will demand from them a lot because they are great players. Now, for me, it's a big honour to play with these defenders."
There are reports suggesting Maguire could still leave this summer, despite United recently rejecting a £20m bid from West Ham for his services.