Man United want to sign the ‘next Kylian Mbappé’ – Ratcliffe،
New Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said he wants to sign “the next Kylian Mbappé” rather than rushing to sign the French superstar this summer.
Ratcliffe and his team, managed by Sir Dave Brailsford, are preparing for their first summer transfer window since acquiring 27.7% of the club.
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Mbappé is available after announcing his decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, and ESPN sources say he is expected to join Real Madrid, but Ratcliffe suggested United would look to sign emerging talent rather than established stars.
“I think in some ways what I would prefer is to try and recruit the next Mbappé rather than spending a fortune trying to buy success,” Ratcliffe told Geraint Jones during his interview with Geraint Jones. Cycling Club Podcast.
“It's not so smart to buy Mbappé, everyone can understand that. What's much more difficult is to find the next Mbappé or [Jude] Bellingham or Roy Keane.”
United have spent heavily on transfers over the past decade but have still endured a long period of underperformance, winning just four major trophies since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
High-profile signings like Paul Pogba and Ángel Di María have struggled after arriving at Old Trafford for large sums, but Ratcliffe has suggested the club's approach to recruitment is about to change.
“The solution is not to spend a lot of money on a few big players,” Ratcliffe said.
“They've done that if you look at what they've done over the last 10 years, they've spent a lot of money on a few big players.
“The first thing you need to do is put the right people in the right boxes to run the club and make sure the recruitment is right. That's a vital part of a football club, recruiting well.
Ratcliffe has already made a number of changes to United's off-field structure, hiring Omar Berrada from Manchester City as new CEO and attracting Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United as sporting director.
There are question marks over whether manager Erik ten Hag will continue in his role next season, but Ratcliffe chose to dodge the question of whether his name is Jürgen Klopp, who will leave Liverpool this summer.
“You can’t ask such questions,” Ratcliffe said.
But the 71-year-old British billionaire admitted to being a fan of the German coach.
“I didn't see the Liverpool v Man City game and one of the things I read was that only three or four Liverpool players would be in the City squad,” added Ratcliffe .
“But Klopp has this ability to push his players into a frenzy where they are totally engaged on the pitch. It's one of the things a good coach can do.”
