Man Utd's eye-watering £264m summer transfer window predicted as PSG and Atletico Madrid stars arrive

Manchester United have already made a promising start to their summer transfer plans as the impact of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s presence starts to show at Old Trafford.

The last week brought a flurry of activity as Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee and Lille’s highly-rated centre-back Leny Yoro were secured at a combined cost of around £90m and further new faces are believed to be on the way as Erik ten Hag looks to build on last season’s FA Cup Final triumph. There have been outgoings too with Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambwala and Donny van de Beek all heading for pastures new and Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial both leaving after their contracts came to an end.

Transfer speculation continues to dominate the headlines as Red Devils supporters await the next arrival but there have been suggestions Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte, Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and Brentford striker Ivan Toney are on a lengthy list of potential targets as the final six weeks of the transfer window approaches.

But how does the world's most popular managerial simulation predict the remainder of the summer transfer window could play out for the Red Devils? We fire up Football Manager 2024 and take a look.

Goalkeepers

There really isn’t anything to report here. In fact, there is literally nothing to report here as Onana, Bayindir and Heaton all remain in situ.

Ten Hag’s goalkeeping options: Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton

Defenders

Now there is some movement! Using the in-game editor, we ensured the Leny Yoro deal was included but the virtual Ten Hag opted to make a move for former Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia as he was the subject of a successful £15m offer from the Red Devils. There were two departures as Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof made respective moves to Ajax and Atalanta at a combined income of £15m. There still seems to be work to do in the defensive third for Ten Hag after the United boss was unsuccessful in offers for Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande, Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Inter veteran Stefan de Vrij.

Ten Hag’s defensive options: Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Garcia

Midfielders

No new permanent additions in the heart of midfield as Ten Hag resisted the temptation to add to his engine room - but there was an eye-catching loan move as PSG star Fabian Ruiz agreed a season-long loan at Old Trafford. That move could become permanent next summer with United agreeing a £52m optional fee for the Euro 2024 winner. Departures were limited to one as Christian Eriksen’s time as a Red Devil came to an end with a £5m move to Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli.

Ten Hag’s midfield options: Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount

Forwards

Firstly, the one departure as Jadon Sancho’s loan deal at Borussia Dortmund was converted into a £35m permanent switch by the Bundesliga giants. Ten Hag wasted little time in putting those funds to good use as he completed a £50m move for Real Sociedad winger Brais Mendez and handed over £23m for Club Brugge’s Danish international Andreas Skov Olsen. There was another intriguing loan signing made as Portugal international Joao Felix arrived on a season-long agreement from Atletico Madrid - although there is no option to convert that into a permanent move.

Ten Hag’s forward options: Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund, Amad Diallo, Brais Mendez, Andreas Skov Olson, Joao Felix

Ins

Leny Yoro (£55m from Lille), Joshua Zirkzee (£36m from Bologna), Fabian Ruiz (loan from PSG), Joao Felix (loan from Atletico Madrid), Brais Mendez (£50m from Real Sociedad), Andreas Skov Olsen (£23m from Club Brugge), Eric Garcia (£16m from Barcelona)

Outs

Mason Greenwood (£22m to Marseille), Willy Kambwala (£7m to Villarreal), Tyrell Malacia (£7m to Ajax), Jadon Sancho (£35m to Borussia Dortmund), Christian Eriksen (£5m to Al Ahli), Victor Lindelof (£8m to Atalanta)