Manchester United report: Ralf Rangnick to swipe surprise first signing from Premier League rivals
Manchester United are looking to rebuild for the future – starting with a shock transfer for a Premier League wonderkid
Manchester United are primed to make Ralf Rangnick's first new signing since arriving in the northwest.
The 63-year-old has been at the club since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of duties as manager in an interim role but is set to move into an undefined "consultancy" position once his temporary time in the dugout comes to an end.
Rangnick chose not to bring new players during the winter transfer window, keeping his squad together and denying moves to the likes of Jesse Lingard and Anthony Elanga.
Now, the German has identified a new target and reportedly agreed terms to sign teenage midfielder Toby Collyer from Brighton & Hove Albion, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The 18-year-old has already been on trial at Carrington and has captained England youth teams. A midfielder, Collyer might even be fast-tracked to appear in the first team sooner rather than later, with United lacking quality options ahead of the teen.
This summer could be a busy one at Old Trafford.
Paul Pogba is largely expected to depart the club on a free transfer, with rumours suggesting that the World Cup could even remain in the Premier League post-United. Cristiano Ronaldo could well leave too, should the Red Devils fail in their bid for top four.
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It's assumed that United will be looking for a new right-back to play ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a couple of new midfielders to compete for positions and maybe a new forward or two.
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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.