Manchester United might have signed Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham for less than what they ended up squandering on three unsuccessful signings. The club now appears to be improving its transfer strategy, with recent arrivals Senne Lammens, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko all delivering encouraging performances this season and shaping up to be key members of the first team moving forward.
This marks a shift from a lengthy list of transfer missteps, with three deals in particular drawing attention: Antony (£86million), Rasmus Hojlund (£72m) and Andre Onana (£47m) – costing the club a total of £205m. Antony turned out to be the priciest error. Following three disappointing seasons at Old Trafford, he left permanently for Real Betis in a reduced-fee transfer last summer. Although he showed occasional potential, Hojlund largely struggled in the Premier League before heading out on loan to join Scott McTominay at Napoli.
Onana’s arrival was problematic from the outset, with the Cameroonian producing a series of expensive mistakes and often causing unease among his defenders. After being dropped early in the current campaign, it was widely expected that he would leave before the summer transfer window closed, eventually joining Turkish club Trabzonspor on loan.
As with Hojlund, it would be quite surprising if he ever plays for United again. These failed transfers only add to the frustration, especially considering how close the club came to landing Kane and Bellingham.
United showed interest in Kane prior to his switch from Tottenham to Bayern Munich in 2023. The England captain moved to the German side for an initial £86m, with additional payments pushing the total beyond £100m.
Former United assistant coach Benni McCarthy later suggested the club hesitated to fully commit to signing Kane, who was 30 at the time, due to concerns over his age. At the same time, United had tracked Bellingham multiple times – first when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City and later when he made the move to Real Madrid.
During that second pursuit, Manchester City and Liverpool were also linked with the England midfielder, who eventually signed for the Spanish giants for an initial £88m in the summer of 2023.
Considering his age, investing heavily in Bellingham would arguably have been more logical for United. However, Bellingham himself described the decision to join Los Blancos as a « no-brainer », pointing to the « size of the club » and the clearly defined long-term project at the Bernabeu as reasons that outweighed a move back to England.
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