According to reports, Sir Jim Ratcliffe prevented Manchester United from making a ‘proposal’ for a shock re-signing in this summer’s transfer window.
For most of this summer’s transfer window, Man Utd were focused on signing a new striker as they felt they needed an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
Hojlund and Zirkzee were heavily criticised for their poor performances in 2024/25 as they only scored seven Premier League goals combined, though the Red Devils struggled to land an upgrade.
Man Utd missed out on Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres before turning their attention to Benjamin Sesko, who joined the Premier League giants for around £74m after he chose them over Newcastle United.
Ruben Amorim‘s side were linked with several potential options to take their summer spending beyond £230m, with reports suggesting that they could sign a second new striker as they were linked with experienced candidates.
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Danny Welbeck has been sporadically linked with a potential return to Man Utd after he progressed through the ranks at Old Trafford.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed a late-career renaissance at Brighton as he scored ten Premier League goals in 2024/25.
According to The Athletic, Welbeck’s impressive form last season sparked fresh interest from Man Utd, who ‘considered making a proposal of a contract until 2027 should they agree a fee with Brighton’.
It is indicated that certain figures at Man Utd ‘felt he would add experience, technical quality, and heritage to the squad after spending 16 years at Old Trafford, graduating from the academy’.
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Despite this, INEOS supremo Ratcliffe decided to pull the plug on a deal as he was concerned about the player’s age.
The report claims:
‘He would have been a relatively low-cost arrival to complement a marquee signing.
‘But Ratcliffe was known to feel United could not sanction a two-year deal for a player who is 35 in November and instead a one plus one was discussed, but the offer was not formalised.’
The report has also revealed two more Premier League stars who were on Man Utd’s radar in the summer.
‘United had Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the background as a candidate on a free, with Wilcox feeling he could be a useful deputy, but United declined to make a proposal.
‘As an alternative to Mbeumo, United held talks on Antoine Semenyo, but Bournemouth’s £70m valuation was seen as too high.’
