Man Utd have developed a new transfer strategy since Ineos gained control of football operations at Old Trafford.
United have signed a handful of talented young players in the last 18 months.(Image: Getty Images)
There are some ongoing changes at Manchester United that most fans won’t notice.
The revised transfer strategy of signing talented youngsters falls into that category. United have always signed young players to add to their academy, but the profile of targets has evolved.
Sekou Kone (19) was signed from Mali, Diego Leon (18) has been scouted from Paraguay, while Enzo Kana-Biyik (18) is set to arrive on a free transfer from the renowned academy of French club Le Havre AC.
Ayden Heaven, Chido Obi, James Overy, Samuel Lusale and Harley Emsden-James have also been lured to Manchester with the promise of a pathway to first-team football at Old Trafford.
Heaven and Obi have already broken into the senior squad. Ruben Amorim gave opportunities to both players last season and they will be used as a shining example to future targets.
United’s transfer strategy has become interesting, although it could be argued they are simply catching up with the times. Premier League rivals have cast their nets around the globe to sign young players with high ceilings, some of whom will never make a first-team appearance in England.
Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have been a huge factor and some Premier League clubs are buying young players with the intention of making a profit on their sale in a few years’ time.
In the summer of 2023, Chelsea signed Angelo Gabriel from Santos for £13million. They immediately sent him on loan and sold him to a Saudi Arabian club for £19.4m the following summer.
Sekou Kone was signed last summer.
Around a similar time, Newcastle signed Yankuba Minteh from OB for £5.9m. Minteh joined Feyenoord on loan and was flipped to Brighton for £30m in the following summer.
Angelo and Minteh didn’t make an appearance for Chelsea and Newcastle. Such transfers have become common to work within PSR rules, despite being against the essence of football.
United sources would deny that young players are being signed to be ‘flipped’, but the reality is that not every signing will make the grade and some will be sold for profit down the line.
Club sources stress that each young signing in the last 18 months has been made because they have first-team potential, however, that does not guarantee they will make a senior debut.
The transfers are essentially low risk and high reward. For example, United signed Kone for around £1m for Guidars FC and the young midfielder arrived in Manchester with a huge upside.
The best-case scenario is that Kone breaks into the first-team and establishes himself in the Premier League. The worst-case scenario is that he is below first-team standard but is still sold for a profit.
Similar signings were made by the previous regime, but they have increased since Ineos gained control of football operations. Jason Wilcox is hugely influential behind the scenes and different sources indicated he was already doing the director of football job before he was officially given the title.
Kone has been around first-team squads.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
The club’s network of scouts present reports on young players and Kone was first scouted by United in November 2023 at the Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia. Multiple staff members from United watched Kone throughout that tournament as Mali beat Argentina to claim a third-place finish.
After following Kone at the U17 World Cup, another United scout attended an Under-18 tournament in Morocco in April 2024 where he featured as one of the players of the tournament.
It’s understood the recommendation to sign Kone came after this tournament and there was communication between the club’s scouting team in order to make the deal happen.
Deals to sign Obi, Overy and Lusale were also arranged last summer. United became aware that Obi wanted to leave Arsenal and was about to join a European club after visiting their training ground.
Nick Cox (head of the academy), Luke Fedderenko (head of academy recruitment), Stephen Ajewole (lead scout) and Sam Williams (lead scout) all played a huge role in signing Obi from Arsenal.
Overy (18) attracted interest from other Premier League clubs but he signed for United, while Lusale (17) was signed from Crystal Palace, and they both went into the U18 squad.
The signing of Emsden-James, 16, from Southampton this summer is similar to those deals. The centre-back will join up with the U18s in 2024/2025 and still has a long way to progress to make a first-team debut.
James Overy and Samuel Lusale pictured last summer.(Image: Manchester United)
It will be fascinating to see how United handle Kone, Leon and Kana-Biyik ahead of 2025/2026.
Kone could leave on loan after being given time to find his feet in England, but Leon might be kept within the building so he can adapt to his new surroundings after leaving South America.
Leon completed a medical to finalise his move from Paraguay side Cerro Porteno in early January and the defender signed a five-year contract, with the option of an additional year.
It’s understood United agreed a £3.3m fee, rising to £7m with add-ons, with Cerro Porteno and Leon continued to play in Paraguay with a view to moving to Manchester this summer.
United are expected to formally announce the arrivals of Leon and Kana-Biyik. The latter is joining from Le Havre on a free transfer and only a few regulatory steps remain for him to complete his move.
The highly-regarded Kana-Biyik is a natural striker and he scored nine goals in 16 appearances for the French club’s Under-19s last season, while also training with their first-team.
Kana-Biyik has been linked with an immediate loan move to Ineos-owned FC Lausanne-Sport, but it’s understood that no loan plan has been confirmed for the incoming French youngster.
In February, United appointed Christopher Vivell as director of recruitment on a full-time basis following his interim spell in the role and he became a regular attendee of academy games.
The role of Matt Hargreaves as director of football negotiations should also be noted. Hargreaves has a large responsibility for transfers and contracts at Old Trafford, and is known to be an excellent operator.
Representatives have spoken glowingly about Hargreaves and have praised his understanding of players, the football business and negotiations, so he is seen as a valuable member of staff.
Hargreaves does exactly what his job title says on the tin and will continue to try to obtain value during negotiations this summer, wherever that may be found across the world.
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