Poll: Manchester United's fantasy transfer targets

Will Ronaldo return to Old Trafford? (Getty Images)

It has been a frustrating summer for those Manchester United supporters expecting the club to build from a position of strength. After all, local rival Manchester City has invested some £100 million on four players this summer; a statement of intent in the most obvious, if crass, terms. Chelsea has spent too, while even Arsenal bid more than £30 million for Liverpool’s Luis Suárez.

By contrast United’s contribution to world economic output this summer has been a modest £1.5 million spent on Uruguayan under-20 defender Guillermo Varela.

True, the club has seemingly chased several targets this summer – Thiago Alcantara (who signed with Bayern Munich), Cesc Fabregas, and if rumour is to be believed, Gareth Bale and Luka Modri?. United even made an official bid for Fabregas, with David Moyes confirming the £26 million bid on Thursday, although at a laughably low figure for a player of the Spaniard’s class.

Meanwhile, rumours of a bid for former Red, Cristiano Ronaldo persist, however unlikely. Indeed, executive vice chairman Edward Woodward insists that United’s transfer budget this summer is effectively unlimited, with the club ‘prepared to pay £60 or £70 million on a player’. But do you believe the new chief exec will make good on the promise and bring in major signings this summer?