£70m English star now wants to join Man United

The signing of Ederson was a necessity, everyone at Manchester United knows that.

Casemiro, while still officially a United player, will not be one for much longer. He’s set to leave in the forthcoming weeks. The impending departure of Manuel Ugarte has also heightened the need to sign a few midfielders.

Ederson is the first arrival and you can likely expect two or three more. Elliot Anderson is their top target but he is widely expected to join rivals Manchester City.

West Ham star Mateus Fernandes is also on their radar, as is Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. You would imagine whoever joins next will be a bigger signing than the Brazilian midfielder.

Arriving from Atalanta for around £39m, this feels like a relative bargain in the world of inflated transfer fees.

That being said, the midfield is not the only topic of debate for the Red Devils.

Big-money English star open to joining Man Utd

It would appear as though United have changed their recruitment strategy over the last year. They have grown tired of importing from abroad where the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have been the notable flops of recent years.

Of course, Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko have not been poor by any stretch of the imagination after arriving last summer but in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, they welcomed two Premier League proven players who have hit the ground running swiftly.

They are looking to repeat that trick this summer, which explains links to the likes of Anderson, Fernandes, Wharton, Alex Scott and Carlos Baleba.

It’s a strategy that dates back to the Sir Alex Ferguson era. During his heyday at Old Trafford, the Scot would regularly raid the top division for its best players. See Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Robin van Persie as three of the biggest examples.

Well, United are not looking at just those five midfielders. Indeed, in a bid to strengthen their defence, Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall is on their radar.

That’s according to TEAMtalk who reveal that United are showing a strong interest in the left-back. Hall is said to be keen on making the move to Michael Carrick’s side. He is greatly appealed by the idea of playing Champions League football after Newcastle missed out on continental action for 2026/27.

It’s stated that United have already made positive overtures towards the player as they aim to establish a relationship with his representatives.

Any deal would not come cheap with previous reports outlining a potential £70m asking price.

Why Hall would be a better signing than Ederson

United needed a midfielder this summer and they got one. It was absolutely essential they did.

In the form of Ederson, they have signed the “strongest defensive midfielder in the world” according to Italian content creator Damiano Coccia. He’s an underrated character and at £39m, it’s a bargain price when you consider some of the fees mentioned for Anderson, Baleba and Co.

That said, is it the marquee signing that supporters wanted, that supporters were craving? Certainly not.

Of course, United have thrown plenty of money around in the past and it’s gone very badly wrong but when you’re doing so on a Premier League player, it does negate the risk. It explains why Anderson has been touted at £100m and why Fernandes has been slapped with an £80m asking price.

In a day of rash spending, Jason Wilcox and Co have done well to pick up Ederson. That said, there is a sense that despite playing in a different position, Hall would be a far better signing here.

In reality, signing players in both positions is a necessity, but with Hall, there is very little chance this move will go wrong. With Ederson, United fans are dreading this could be an Ugarte repeat, particularly if he is starting week in, week out.

The club’s problems when it comes to signing players from abroad is well documented but with Hall, they could repeat the Mbeumo and Cunha trick of a year ago.

So, why would the Newcastle man be such a good signing? Well, Luke Shaw is not getting any younger and despite playing all 38 league games for the first time in his Old Trafford career throughout 2025/26, he will now have European football to contend with. It’s impossible for him to play every single game again.

Carrick needs competition for Shaw and importantly, he does actually need an upgrade. Hall would provide exactly that.

A midfielder by trade, the 21-year-old has risen to prominence at left-back at St James’ Park and after moving from Chelsea, has been heralded as “one of the best left-backs in the Premier League” by journalist Steven Railston.

The young defender is extremely secure in possession of the football. He ranks among the top 8% of left-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

In that regard, the England international is so much better than Shaw. Possessing plenty of energy, he loves to get up and down the pitch, making a whole extra progressive carry per 90 than Shaw.

While a defender should always be judged on their ability to defend first and foremost, the amount of extra threat Hall could give United in possession in comparison to Shaw is night an day. He makes more key passes and takes more shots.

That said, the Toon star is no slouch defensively. He made nearly three more ball recoveries per 90 in 2025/26.

Once all is said and done come the end of the summer, should a move for Hall be completed, he will certainly be judged as a better and more exciting signing than Ederson.

The Brazilian is a necessity but he’s not going to be a complete game-changer. Hall, however, has the potential to really elevate the ceiling of this squad. Aged just 21, too, he has an immense future in the game.