Manchester United rebuild: Five cost-effective transfer targets for 2025 | OneFootball

Manchester United are set for a major summer rebuild as the club’s disappointing campaign continues.

Elimination from the FA Cup at home to Fulham was the latest low in a season of setbacks. Ruben Amorim’s arrival as head coach has failed to turn around their fortunes, with United languishing in 14th in the Premier League table. Unless Europa League success is secured, the club looks set for a season of absence from European football next season.

Cost-cutting measures behind the scenes have also brought the club’s finances to light. At a time when Amorim needs to bring in players that suit his system, funds could be limited.

With that in mind, we’ve looked at five cost-effective transfer targets that could help kickstart a rebuild at Old Trafford.

Jonathan David (Lille)

Manchester United’s lack of forward threat has been painfully apparent this season. In 2025, Ruben Amorim’s side have scored more goals through opposition own goals than their own forwards this calendar year.

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee cost the club a combined £108m but have combined for just five Premier League goals this season. Could the solution be a player that is available for nothing?

Jonathan David is set to be one of Europe’s most in-demand free agents this summer. The Canadian forward is out of contract at Lille and attracting interest from top sides. David has scored 105 goals in 220 games for Lille, including 20+ in each of the last three campaigns. This season, he’s netted eight times in 12 Champions League games to help Lille into the Round of 16.

At 25 and available for nothing, he would offer a low-risk replacement – and likely upgrade – for United’s underperforming forward line.

Angel Gomes (Lille)

Another of Lille’s out-of-contract stars. Angel Gomes is being heavily linked with a return to English football after five successful seasons in France. A product of the Manchester United academy, Gomes made just 10 first-team appearances for the Red Devils before departing for Ligue 1.

At Lille, he’s developed into a fine deep-plying playmaker with poise in possession and the ability to progress the ball through lines. Gomes was the joint-leading assist provider in Ligue 1 in 2023/24 and made his senior England debut in September. He’s since won four caps after a successful youth career that included two tournament wins with the Young Lions.

Though there are reservations over his physical suitability to the Premier League, the 24-year-old has shown enough to warrant another shot in English football.

Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Jonathan Tah is another free agent who Europe’s top clubs are scrambling to sign. Tah has turned down the chance of a contract extension at Bayer Leverkusen, in favour of a new challenge.

Bayern Munich failed with a bid to sign the defender last summer and remain interested, while Barcelona have also been credited with interest. The potential absence of European football could reduce Manchester United’s chances of beating such competition, but Tah is a player worth pushing hard for in the transfer market.

The 29-year-old was an integral part of Leverkusen’s German double last season and boasts 33 caps for Germany. Tah ranks in the top two percent of centre-backs in Europe for average pass completion (93.9%) and leads the Bundesliga for the percentage of aerial duels won (75%). Only James Tarkowski and Ibrahima Konate can better that win percentage among Premier League centre-backs.

Olivier Boscagli (PSV Eindhoven)

Another interesting option on a Bosman deal. Olivier Boscagli has not renewed his deal at PSV Eindhoven and will be free to leave the Dutch champions in the summer.

The 27-year-old has settled into a centre-back role at PSV, after previous stints in defensive midfield and at left-back. A combination of versatility and comfortability on the ball make Boscagli an option that could suit Ruben Amorim’s demands.

The Frenchman has five assists from centre-back this season and averages more progressive passes (8.23), passes into the final third (10.54), and completed long passes (12.74) per 90 than any defender in Europe’s top five leagues this season. He also ranks highly in percentile comparisons for interceptions (94th) and progressive carries (87th) per game.

With Lisandro Martinez facing a long spell out injured with an ACL injury, another recruit from the Eredivisie could help plug the gap.

Roony Bardghji (FC Copenhagen)

Manchester United know better than most the talent of Roony Bardghji. The Swedish teenager scored the winner when FC Copenhagen upset the Red Devils in last season’s Champions League.

Still just 19, the winger scored 11 goals in 37 appearances for Copenhagen during the 2023/24 campaign before sustaining an ACL injury. He’s yet to return but remains on the watch list of top clubs as his contract winds down. Bardghji’s deal expires in December 2025.

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