Manchester United can steal Bayer Leverkusen blueprint for rebuild as transfer plan clear

Manchester United should try to sign a few Bayer Leverkusen stars this summer as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's rebuild. Upon acquiring a stake and taking the reins at Old Trafford, the INEOS chief pledged to take the Red Devils back to 'the very top of English, European and world football'.

He's made plenty of progress so far, forking out millions on a few new faces in the boardroom like Sir David Brailsford, Omar Berrada and Jean-Claude Blanc. Ratcliffe has shown no sign of slowing down either, with Dan Ashworth heavily linked with taking the director of football role.

For now, the Newcastle United chief has been placed on gardening leave. Until a resolution has been reached, the British billionaire should take the lead on recruitment at United with the summer transfer window just around the corner.

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So, with that being said, the Manchester Evening News has taken a look at which players the Red Devils should sign from Bayer Leverkusen this summer following their remarkable Bundesliga win.

Jeremie Frimpong

The Manchester Evening News understands that United are keeping tabs on Frimpong, who sees his contract the Bay Arena expire in 2028. The wing-back has featured 27 times for Xabi Alonso's side in the Bundesliga this season, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists.

The 23-year-old has played a crucial role for Bayer Leverkusen in their title-winning campaign, bombing up and down the right flank to excellent effect. Manchester United already have Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot and Erik ten Hag prefers a back-four making a potential deal slightly more difficult to justify.

One would need to leave in the summer to make a move viable, although whether the player is still available by the time United manage to offload Dalot or Wan-Bissaka is another matter as he's sure to have suitors from all over Europe.

Alejandro Grimaldo

Grimaldo, who sees his contract the Bay Arena expire in 2027, has featured 29 times in the Bundesliga this season, scoring nine goals and recording 13 assists. The 28-year-old wing-back has played just as much of a key role in Alonso's side as Frimpong, though he's also a set-piece specialist.

Grimaldo played left-back in a more conventional back-four during his seven-year stint at Benfica, so he'd be more than capable of slotting into the current United lineup. His potential arrival would cast doubt over Luke Shaw's place in the side, but the England international could very easily tuck inside as the left centre-back – just as he's previously done before for club and country.

Edmond Tapsoba

Along with Frimpong, United are also keeping tabs on Tapsoba, who sees his contract the Bay Arena expire in 2028. THe defender has featured 23 times in the Bundesliga this season, helping Leverkusen keep 10 clean sheets.

While the 25-year-old centre-half offers great steel and leadership, he's also been paramount to the German outfit's build-up play from the back. With that being said, United could also take a look at Jonathan Tah, who sees his deal expire in June 2025, though he's slightly older at 28. Both would be superb options and not too much separates them.

Florian Wirtz

The crown jewel of Alonso's side. Wirtz, who sees his contract the Bay Arena expire in 2027, has featured 29 times in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has been really impressive, taking on the responsibility of the 'talisman' role.

Whenever Leverkusen needed somebody to rise to the big occasion, Wirtz would step up. However, there's a few issues; not only would he cost in the region of €100million (£85.4m), according to the CIES Football Observatory, but it's also very likely that every other top club tries to secure his signature this summer.

The Germany international could arguably be the most coveted player in Europe...