Improving Manchester United's midfield seems to be at the top of Ralf Rangnick's list of priorities.
Before being hired as United's manager, Rangnick identified the club's midfield as an area of weakness in his interview for the job and suggested scouts keep an eye on Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips, and RB Leipzig's Amadou Haidara, according to ESPN's Rob Dawson.
A move for Bellingham, 18, could be the most difficult to complete given Dortmund's past reluctance to part with their young stars. However, United have enjoyed some success in negotiations with the German club. They signed Jadon Sancho last summer after BVB repeatedly rejected the Premier League side's advances in the summer of 2020.
Pursuing Phillips could be an arduous task as well, as Leeds may be unwilling to consider selling the 26-year-old England international to a Premier League rival.
Haidara, 23, could be the most likely of the bunch to move to Old Trafford considering Rangnick's close ties to RB Leipzig. The German manager served as the club's coach on multiple occasions before taking up an executive role with Red Bull GmbH.
However, it's unlikely United will complete lucrative deals for any of Rangnick's reported targets during the January signing period, according to Dawson. Although Rangnick has the backing to explore the possibility of new contracts, both he and United reportedly expect to have a quiet month.
Instead, Rangnick apparently thinks United's squad is too big, which could result in players being sold next month rather than being acquired.
