Ralf Rangnick to be given January transfer kitty at Manchester United | OneFootball

Manchester United’s incoming interim manager Ralf Rangnick will be given a transfer budget in January, according to a new report.

Having spent €140 million (£118m) on Cristiano Ronaldo (€15m), Jadon Sancho (€85m) and Raphael Varane (€40m) in the summer, the board had reportedly been unwilling to make funds available for the winter window.

However, according to The Express, the appointment of interim manager Ralf Rangnick, coupled with the obvious need for midfield reinforcements, has led to a change of heart from the controlling shareholders, the Glazer family.

‘Express Sport understands that the Glazer family have decided that funds will be made available for Rangnick,’ the outlet claims.

‘United have looked a little short of quality this term, particularly in central midfield.’

The budget is unlikely to extend to the £100 million required for previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top target, West Ham’s Declan Rice, but there are plenty of cheaper options who could provide an upgrade in the defensive midfield area.

Reports have started to circulate in the last 24 hours about a player Rangnick signed for RB Leipzig, Amadou Haidara, who has a €33 million release clause, but there are plenty of other potential bargains as well.

As reported here yesterday, the likes of Denis Zakaria and Marcelo Brozovic are entering the last six months of their respective contracts at Borussia Monchengladbach and Inter Milan, respectively.

This could mean that they could be signed for a reduced fee rather than being allowed to leave for nothing at the end of the season.

Another possibility, albeit perhaps a little harder to pull off, would be Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, who has been rumoured to be close to an exit from the Camp Nou.

Although Xavi has quashed claims that the Dutchman might leave, the fact is that the Blaugrana are in a terrible financial situation and with plenty of cover in midfield, they may be willing to part ways with him.

With the unfortunate medical condition affecting Sergio Aguero, the priority for Barcelona must surely be to raise funds for a striker. What kind of figure they might be willing to accept for the 24-year-old, valued by transfermarkt.com at €90 million, remains to be seen.

Whatever the case, the news that there will be funds available to strengthen will be celebrated by United fans and by Rangnick himself, who will not have long to wait to find what many consider to be the final piece of the jigsaw.