Man Utd losing valuable time as frustrating transfer tactics threaten Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's rebuild

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United rebuild is being held up by their increasingly frustrating negotiating tactics.

Now Old Trafford’s power-brokers are coming under mounting pressure to speed up their recruitment process, with opposition clubs irritated by a series of low-ball offers for targets.

Solskaer wants the majority of his squad in place for the start of pre-season training on July 1. Yet Daniel James is the only new recruit - and that deal was delayed for weeks as United haggled over his price.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to join the Wales winger imminently – but negotiations with Crystal Palace are following a familiar pattern.

Swansea were stunned by United’s initial offer of around £10m for James – less than half their valuation. And while the tragic sudden death of his father saw him given personal time to grieve, protracted negotiations between the clubs were down to the structuring of the deal.

Now it is Palace who have been exasperated by United’s failure to get close enough to their £60m valuation of Wan-Bissaka, despite the England Under-21 international being identified months ago as Solskjaer’s first choice target at right back.

United have come in with two offers - both involving up-front payments of £35m, plus add-ons.

Palace are expected to deal at around £40-45m up front, with add-ons taking the fee to a potential £55m.

It’s anticipated United’s third bid will finally see them reach a breakthrough - but the concern for Solskjær is that valuable time is being lost due to the club’s drawn-out negotiations.

Their initial approach for Harry Maguire is believed to have been as low as £40m - despite Leicester valuing the England centre back at more than double that figure.

It is becoming a well-worn strategy that is being openly discussed within football circles

Matt Judge - head of corporate development - is United’s chief negotiator, in charge of striking deals with agents and clubs.

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He is also responsible for renegotiating player contracts.

It has been noted that during a pivotal summer of squad rebuilding, one of United’s most significant pieces of business has been to hand 31-year-old Juan Mata a contract that will effectively tie him to the club for three years.

Supporters have also been disdainful of the decision to tie Chris Smalling and Phil Jones down to long-term deals at a time when the club is still in need of a top class centre-back.

Meanwhile, Ander Herrera was left frustrated by the amount of time it took United to come up with a suitable contract offer - prompting him to walk away at the end of the season in favour of Paris Saint-Germain.

Marcus Rashford is still to commit his future to Old Trafford.

Anger among supporters threatens to reach boiling point.

On Wednesday night #glazersout was the top trending topic on Twitter.

It comes after fans publicly demonstrated against Ed Woodward last season - hiring an aeroplane with a banner labelling the executive vice chairman as a ‘specialist in failure.’

On the back of a wretched campaign that saw United miss out on the Champions League for a third time in six seasons, the scrutiny on this summer is intense.

And their recruitment is the main focus of attention.

Considering they have faced little competition for the signings of James and Wan-Bissaka, there are concerns about how successful they will be in pursuit of a Maguire, who is also being targeted by Manchester City.

With Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku both intent on leaving during this window, all eyes will be on United’s ability to secure profits on the two most expensive players in their history. Then there is the added issue of replacing them with top class players.

Jose Mourinho was angered by the club’s failures in the transfer market in two of his three summer windows.

He believed he was left short-handed after delivering two trophies in his first season and a return to the Champions League, with the club refusing to meet Inter Milan’s valuation of Ivan Perisic.

A year later, Mourinho’s pursuit was justified as the Croatia winger led his country to the World Cup final.

Rebuild: Solskjaer wants up to five new player
AFP/Getty Images

The former manager was even more infuriated last summer when moves for a centre-back were vetoed. Among his targets was Maguire, who United are desperate to land during this window.

United are well aware of supporters’ perception that commercial interests are being prioritised over success on the pitch.

Woodward is determined to prove the two factors go hand-in-hand - but unless significant investment is made this summer, he will once again face their fury.

Solskjaer’s intention to sign as many as five new players - even before the potential departures of Pogba and Lukaku – and he needs as long as possible to try to gel his squad.

That’s why it’s vital their recruitment is completed before the squad fly out to Perth for the start of their pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East in less than three weeks.

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