Manchester United's transfer business in the two full summers under Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada has followed a clear pattern, with six of eight first-team signings arriving from Premier League clubs.
In the 2025 and 2026 summer windows, United used a release clause for one major signing each year — Matheus Cunha in 2025 and Youri Tielemans this summer. But the more noticeable trend is the source of those players, with six of the eight coming from English top-flight clubs.
Premier League experience valued
This football leadership put stock in domestic experience during the attacking rebuild in 2025, and the way Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo hit the ground running reinforced the view that buying players with English top-flight experience can justify the premium attached to such deals.
Ahead of this summer, the view from inside Old Trafford was to again expect a focus on Premier League-proven players, though value abroad would also be considered. The first deal United agreed was to sign Ederson from Serie A side Atalanta, only for that move to collapse amid fitness concerns.
All four summer signings from Premier League
In the end, all four of United's summer signings this year came from Premier League clubs. Andrey Santos was at Chelsea and had been on loan at Nottingham Forest, Youri Tielemans has years of domestic experience, Carlos Baleba has thrived at Brighton, and Karl Darlow has played in the top flight for Leeds and Newcastle.
This suggests the policy will be continued, and other targets this summer fit that bill. Alex Scott was considered in midfield, Lewis Hall was the priority at left-back, and Myles Lewis-Skelly fit both options.
Defensive targets for 2027
United are expected to revive their interest in Hall next summer, and their focus at centre-back is also expected to tilt towards the Premier League, where physicality and domestic experience as a defender may be considered even more important.
That could provide hints as United weigh up the market over the next eight months. They were linked with Micky van de Ven this summer, and if Lisandro Martinez's injury issues continue, he looks an obvious option. There was also speculation linking them with Tottenham's other centre-back, Cristian Romero, before he moved to Atletico Madrid.
Alternatives could present potential targets based solely on their Premier League experience. Murilo of Nottingham Forest is one, while United have previously made a bid for Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite.
United rely on data in their recruitment now and the numbers will be crunched on defenders across Europe over the season ahead, but a greater weighting is given to players whose stats stack up well in the Premier League. As options narrow at the back, that might provide a few clues as the season progresses.
