According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd has been working since September on their “top” summer target.

Despite reports in December suggesting Erik ten Hag was expecting to bring in as many as three new faces, the Red Devils have not added any new players during the January transfer window.

Nevertheless, they have been able to send three first-team players on loan: Donny van de Beek is moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, Jadon Sancho is going to Borussia Dortmund, and Hannibal Mejbri is going to Sevilla.

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The January transfer window has become more difficult for Manchester United due to the impending entrance of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire is awaiting the Premier League’s approval of his 25% ownership share in the team.

When the deal officially closes, Ratcliffe will take over as the head of football operations. The founder of INEOS is eager to restructure the recruitment division.

Since centre backs are viewed as a top priority by Ten Hag and Ratcliffe, Man Utd has been linked to several players, but Romano is adamant that a transaction will probably be completed in the summer.

In his column Caught Offside, Romano stated: “A vital addition to the team this summer will be the new center-back. Since the end of September, Erik ten Hag has been active in this project with the scouting department. They planned to sign a top centre back in the summer after having some internal talks about a new centre back.

Furthermore, Romano mentioned that there might even be two centre backs signed to fill that position. A great one, and possibly one for the times ahead. This will be a very consequential choice.

Dan Ashworth of Newcastle is Ratcliffe’s top pick to take over as sporting director at Old Trafford, and Romano is adamant that Man Utd will make another effort for the 52-year-old.

Romano went on, “Manchester United will push again in the coming days or weeks to make it happen, according to the industry sentiment.”