It has been quite the rollercoaster 2022-23 season for Manchester United. With Erik ten Hag at the controls, United has gone through plenty of ups and downs; in fact, their low points were close to bedrock. They embarrassingly suffered a 7-0 defeat at Anfield against longtime rival Liverpool, while Brentford, a midtable side, thrashed them 4-0 back in August.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils, overall, have had a terrific season, especially when taking into account how they ended the previous campaign. To finish the 2021-22 season, United fell off the pace, and they ended up falling out of the Champions League spots in the end (they finished in sixth place with 58 points, 13 points away from fourth). Now, United truly has come so far; not only did they finish third with 75 points, they also took home a trophy, winning the EFL Cup by shutting out Newcastle United in the final.
United, of all teams, would know the value of a strong summer transfer window. Last year, they brought in Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, and Christian Eriksen; the former two, in particular, have made United a much more solid defensive unit, while Eriksen infused the squad with much-needed creativity in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes.
In the end, however, United simply did not have enough weapons to truly challenge for a title. Manchester City and Arsenal basically ran away in a two-club race for the title.
For the Red Devils to mount a title push, they may have to bolster the midfield even further; United are clearly vulnerable without Casemiro. Meanwhile, acquiring a striker should be another priority. As Wout Weghorst showed, there's plenty of room to upgrade in that respect. Moreover, finding David de Gea's successor may end up being a priority as well.
With those positions in mind, here are the three players that Manchester United must target in the summer transfer window.
Harry Kane
Since 2013, Manchester United has found itself mired in mediocrity; this comes off the heels of a stellar run from the mid-1990s to 2012. During that span, United has won five trophies (three excluding the FA Community Shield). Meanwhile, Harry Kane, who has been one of the most prolific strikers in world football for the past nine seasons, has won none.
It's hard to pin that inability to take home silverware solely on Kane's shoulders. His club, Tottenham Hotspur, simply hasn't made the requisite investments in the squad to build off of their peak around 2018-2019, and the club has endured a lot of rough patches since.
With Harry Kane approaching his 30s, it may be time for him to force a move out of North London. With Manchester United on an upward trajectory, Kane will have a chance to compete for silverware should he move to a Red Devils side that's in dire need of a clinical finisher up top.
Among the top six sides, United had the worst goal output, with 58 in 38 Premier League matches. Adding Kane's 30 Premier League goals (that came in a mediocre Spurs squad, by the way) would go a long way towards making United a serious challenger not only for the league title, but the Champions League title as well.
Mason Mount
Mason Mount's value is at his lowest; he fell out of favor at Chelsea and he had to deal with injury. Now in the last year of his contract, Mount is on the outs at Stamford Bridge, with Manchester United emerging as his greatest suitor.
Mount isn't the most defensive-minded midfielder, nor is he the most creative; what the 24-year old midfielder is is a hard worker. Mount presses hard and he always tracks back on defense, which would be of big help to United.
He won't be a headline-stealing acquisition, given his uninspiring output during the 2022-23 season, but what Mason Mount would be for United is an integral piece of the defense-to-attack connective tissue. As a more well-rounded midfield option, he can play alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro without any need for some complicated integration.
For the price Chelsea has quoted for Mount (£70 million), there might be better options out there on the market. But Mount counts as a homegrown talent, which makes him more expensive to Premier League teams, while he's only 24. Not too long ago, he played a huge part in Chelsea's 2021 Champions League triumph. Perhaps a change of scenery is all he needs to regain his form.
Diogo Costa
Acquiring a David de Gea replacement isn't exactly the most pressing order of business for United. But de Gea will be out of contract soon, and he'll be turning 33 in November, so now might be the time to do so.
Enter Diogo Costa, Portugal's number one keeper during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Costa is only 23 years old and he's widely regarded to be one of the best young keepers in the entire world; his £65 million release clause may give the Red Devils some pause, but acquiring Costa, given his trajectory in recent seasons, could shore up the goalkeeping position for United for the next decade.
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