Man Utd told to adandon trio of top midfield targets and 'sign the one player they need' instead

Manchester United have been told to abandon any moves for a trio of incredible central midfield targets in 2026 and ‘sign the one player they need’ instead, with TEAMtalk revealing why that deal could actually happen.

It’s no secret that United need to bring in another midfielder in the January transfer window, or potentially next summer, if they cannot get their top target in the new year.

The Red Devils actually failed in their attempts to sign Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the most recent window, but the Seagulls star remains on their radar alongside Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton – as TEAMtalk have continually reported.

However, former Man Utd defender Paul Parker believes that Conor Gallagher, who is in his second season with Atletico Madrid following his £33million move from Chelsea last year, would be the better fit for Ruben Amorim’s engine room.

“I think you can’t rush it, you can’t just go and get a big clump of players,” Parker said in an interview with UtdDistrict when discussing United’s hunt for a new central midfielder.

“If you’re looking to take it forward slowly and you want to do something, you have to have something in the back end that you look to build on, you look to build on with that person coming in on loan, or you see you get someone on loan who does well, you get that calibre of player to come in, get it cemented in, then Conor [Gallagher] is the one.

“He’s the one player I think they need. One player who plays a lot of football, doesn’t get injured often, and is willing to play.

“I’ve watched him many a time when he was at Palace and when he was at Chelsea and every time you see him grimacing, the lad wants to play games of football.

“If he doesn’t play, it’s a good reason. Even if he’s had a knock, he wants to play football. And I know that if he comes to Manchester United, that would be the cherry on the top.”

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Why Conor Gallagher to Man Utd could happen

TEAMtalk have previously reported Gallagher as a potential target for United, although a loan move for the Atletico star is the least likely outcome.

Our insiders, Fraser Fletcher and Dean Jones, have both confirmed the 25-year-old as a player on the minds of Old Trafford transfer chiefs, with the latter telling us recently: “The reason Gallagher gets mentioned so much is because he could genuinely be on the market and there are not many options in central midfield in that sense around Europe at that level. Especially with Premier League experience.

“I stand by the belief Man Utd would not sign him on loan if it was just a deal to the end of the season.

“My understanding is that they would want somebody longer term so if they did look into this, it would be because they believe he could stay with them beyond the summer.

“I don’t consider him to be a top priority target – but he is a convenient target. It will be interesting to discover soon whether they genuinely feel the need to do something like this in January.”

As such, links between United and Gallagher are more to do with the player’s availability, rather than any burning desire on United’s end to sign the player.

Latest Man Utd news: Hjulmand chase update; Mainoo future

First up, Manchester City and Manchester United have learned when they will be able to snare Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP at a €30million (£26.5m / $35m) discount, as per a report.

Elsewhere, Chelsea are set to approach Manchester United after reigniting their interest in Kobbie Mainoo, according to a report.

And finally, United have reportedly learned how long they will have to do without striker Benjamin Sesko, in news that could impact on a potential swoop for a new No.9 in the January transfer window.

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