Mason Greenwood sale and three key arrivals - what Man United must achieve and avoid in transfer window

Premier League clubs can officially begin trading in the summer transfer window.

This summer's window will run between June 14 and August 30 and Manchester United will look to strengthen their squad after a disappointing 2023/24 campaign.

United finished eighth in the league and recorded a minus goal difference, but Erik ten Hag will remain in charge and get the opportunity to build on his first two years.

Ten Hag has spent over £400million in two summer windows and the early suggestion is United will have £50m to spend in this window. There will have to be sales to offset other arrivals but, fortunately, there are sellable assets in the squad that can be disposed of.

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United will look to raise funds by clearing out players who are surplus to requirements and they must improve their record of selling players. Historically, United have struggled to offload unwanted players and to obtain decent fees, which needs to change under Sir Jim Ratcliffe's regime, so here is what United must achieve in the next few months...

Strengthen the team's core

United must sign a new core of the team: a striker, a midfielder and a centre-back. They have budgeted for those positions and fans will be particularly excited about the prospect of signing a new striker because scoring goals makes more headlines than keeping clean sheets.

Rasmus Hojlund scored 16 goals in 43 appearances, which represented a respectable return in his first season in England, but there were times when he struggled and that was to be expected

The 21-year-old needs support and another forward will be brought in. United have been linked with Joshua Zirkzee, whose goals in Serie A helped the Bologna qualify for the Champions League against the odds. Bologna enjoyed their best season since 1967/1968, Zirkzee finished the campaign as their top goalscorer and he's said to have a release clause of £34m.

Michael Olise, a boyhood United fan, has the profile of a player United would target, but he plays on the right wing and that position has received heavy investment in the last few years.

The midfield was a huge problem last season and Casemiro's drop-off was a large contributing factor. However, there were structural issues caused by Ten Hag's tactics and the Dutchman must tighten up the midfield, which will be made easier by the signing of a No.6.

United's priority in the market should be signing a quality defensive midfielder who can provide the level of defensive cover that Casemiro delivered during his first season. A player who possesses the discipline to play that role, someone who can thwart the danger, is crucial for how Ten Hag wants to play.

In defence, Raphael Varane has left on a free transfer and Jonny Evans is in talks over a new deal. The defensive upheaval has begun and another centre-back is required this summer. United have shown an interest in Jarrad Branthwaite but Everton value him between £70 and £80m.

Although Braithwaite's potential is vast, there is better value in the market and United will have to spend intelligently in the window considering their stretched budget.

The sales of eight players

There have been a handful of players whose departures on free transfers have already been confirmed and their exits will help to generate room in a bloated wage bill.

It will also help create room for new signings, as will sales of players like Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro; Hannibal Mejbri, Donny van de Beek, Facundo Pellistri; Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood. They will be key in raising money to sign fresh arrivals.

Lindelof joined United in 2017 and has entered the final year of his contract, as the one-year extension in his deal was triggered in December. The defender has been a useful squad player, but he's below the quality to start every week for United and should be sold.

Wan-Bissaka is also into the final year of his deal with United and could be sold this summer, so the club can obtain a fee for a player they signed for £50million from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2019. The logic in selling Wan-Bissaka this summer is that United can bank a fee and sign a better-balanced right-back, someone who can provide value in defence and attack.

Casemiro was outstanding in his first season at United and awful in his second. His decline has been stark and he should be offloaded to Saudi Arabia if the opportunity is there.

Hannibal is another in the final year of his contract. He recently spent time on loan with Sevilla, although the Spanish club didn't exercise their option to sign him permanently for £17m and his future needs to be addressed because he isn't good enough to regularly start for United.

Donny van de Beek's nightmare continued at Eintracht Frankfurt and any permanent sale of the Dutchman would be good enough - it's been a shame to watch his decline unfold.

Faundo Pellistri left on loan in January after spending the first half of the season with United. Again, the winger looked below the level required for a starting role at Old Trafford - he was limited to mostly substitute appearances - but should still raise a decent fee.

United paid £9m to sign Pellistri from Penarol in 2020 and although he hasn't developed into a first-team starter, he's an Urguray international and still only 22 years old.

Jadon Sancho retains value after his loan with Borussia Dortmund and a bid in the region of £30m for him would be acceptable. United must act swiftly and arrange Mason Greenwood's next move because their conclusion that 'he should continue his career elsewhere' remains true.

Avoid Eredivisie signings

Ten Hag signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Casemiro in his first summer in charge and only the latter arrived without having once played in the Eredivisie.

Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Altay Bayindir and Jonny Evans were signed permanently last summer, which means six of the ten players permanently signed on Ten Hag's watch have history in the Eredivisie.

United must move away from predominantly signing players with Eredivisie pedigree. Only Casemiro, Hojlund, Evans and Bayindir haven't played in the division on the list of Ten Hag's permanent signings and anyone who has watched the Eredivisie will know the standard is a world away from the Premier League.

It's inadvisable to operate with such a Dutch-heavy influenced transfer policy and that explains why the club's recruitment has continued to be hit-and-miss.

Safeguard the future of Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Inter Milan ahead of the summer transfer window and discussed his future after the final home game of the season.

"I will be here until I've said, the club needs to want me," said Fernandes. "I feel the club wants me to be part of the future, so as I said, I don't want to be a player the club doesn't want to have. If for some reason they don't want to have me, I will go... but."

Fernandes was pulled away by Ten Hag before he could finish his answer. He wants a new contract - his current deal expires in 2026 and has the option of another year - that reflects his importance to the team and United must do everything they can to tie him down.

Although the 29-year-old is at the stage of his career when he could be tempted by a title-challenging club in Europe, he is settled in Manchester and must be kept.

Since Fernandes arrived in the Premier League, no player has created more chances or big chances and he's consistently produced goals and assists when United have needed him most.