THE clock is ticking for Manchester United to round off their busy transfer window.
The Red Devils have just 78 HOURS to bring in new stars and tie up loose ends ahead of the close of deadline day at 11pm BST on Friday.
Several Premier League clubs are still scrambling to negotiate deals, terms and fees before the cutoff point.
United have somewhat pivoted away from their ‘last-minute’ transfer approach by getting deals done early – they signed Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro in July.
But are still expected to be active in the market over the final two days of the window, after the £51m arrival of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday and £25m exit of Scott McTominay.
SunSport have looked at SEVEN stars that could be coming to or leaving Old Trafford – who have spent more than £200m this summer – before Friday.
United have opened exploratory talks over a deal to sign Chelsea outcast Sterling amid a potential swap deal for Jadon Sancho.
Enzo Maresca has told Sterling that he will not be getting minutes at Stamford Bridge and banished him to train with the 13-man ‘bomb squad’.
With Rashford under-performing and Antony a certified United flop, Sterling could add some much needed reinforcement in wide areas.
United insist any deal involving the two stars ahead of Friday’s deadline will be done on their own terms, with no finer details currently released.
But the England ace’s £325,000 per-week salary makes him Chelsea’s joint- highest paid star alongside Napoli-bound Romelu Lukaku.
The signing of Sterling will surely rock the boat – afterall he has also played for two of United’s fiercest rivals in Liverpool and Manchester City.
Yes, he is still a Premier League player after not featuring at all in Brentford‘s first two Prem openers.
Toney, 28, looked set to move to Saudi Arabia until Chelsea made a move to sign the England striker on Tuesday.
And now United have entered the race after holding preliminary talks over a transfer, according to the Evening Standard.
It is believed United are yet to make a formal offer for the striker, who could be available for less than his £50million asking price.
Persistent injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia made the left-back position extremely vulnerable last season as United conceded 58 Prem goals.
Traditional right-back Diogo Dalot and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat were forced to play there with Aaron Wan-Bissaka starting on the right side of defence.
Chilwell, 27, has been informed he has no future at Stamford Bridge after a serious of injuries over the last two seasons.
The most recent reports state United could consider a separate deal for Chilwell, which would most likely look like a loan move.
Despite seemingly fixing things with Erik ten Hag after their bust-up last season, Sancho still sees himself on the Old Trafford chopping block.
Chelsea initially approached United to discuss a move for Sancho on Sunday in a transfer merry-go-round with Sterling and Chilwell heading the other way.
Juventus have also been strongly linked with a loan move for Sancho before the transfer window closes.
But a permanent exit would also help the Red Devils’ profit and sustainability calculations.
Sancho returned from his six month loan at Borussia Dortmund and was welcomed back into the fold.
But he was left out of United’s squad for Sunday’s defeat at Brighton.
United fought off plenty of competition for Eriksen’s signature two years ago, but the 32-year-old has looked past his best for the Red Devils.
Eriksen has been told that he is free to find another club with Ajax reportedly interest in the former Spurs and Juventus man.
The Denmark international is about to enter the final year of his Old Trafford contract so United are keen on cashing in.
He featured just 28 times last season, with only 14 of those coming from the start, as he was slowly phased out amid the rise of Kobbie Mainoo.
Maguire is coming into the final year of his contract and the Red Devils risk losing the £80m ex-Leicester star for free next summer.
The England defender will likely be below both Lisandro Martinez and new signing Yoro – who is out for three months- in the defensive pecking order.
The 31-year-old was not selected for Euro 2024 after seeing himself reduced to a spectator from the bench for large portions of last season before Lisandro Martinez’ injury.
He was also a large part of the injury crisis last term, as United has EVERY defender bar Dalot out at some point.
United agreed a £30m deal with West Ham last July, but Maguire refused to negotiate personal terms.
Often criticised whenever the Red Devils suffer a bad result, Maguire did not cover himself in much glory in United’s 2-1 loss at Brighton.
Serie A side Lazio are weighing up a potential move for Lindelof before Friday.
Lindelof has not trained in more than three weeks due to a toe injury and signed a one year contract extension in December 2023.
The Swede has only managed two halves of football during United’s pre-season campaign.
The 30-year-old’s latest setback comes after a 2023-24 season in which he missed 22 games for club and country due to hamstring and groin problems.
Nevertheless, Lazio will have to battle it out with Fiorentina, Eintracht Frankfurt and a few Saudi Pro League clubs for Lindelof’s services this summer.
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Chelsea have reportedly made a sensational move to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
Liverpool are also eyeing a cut-price deal for Juventus outcast Federico Chiesa.
Meanwhile, Saudi club Al Ahli have submitted an initial bid of £55million to Napoli for Chelsea target Victor Osimhen.
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