Updated: 20 Aug 2026 13:37 BST |
5 min read
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Manchester United have learned from PSG how to operate in the transfer market, with the new strategy of the Old Trafford club closely mirroring that of the two-time Champions League winners.
United are showing signs of finally escaping more than a decade of mediocrity in the Premier League, and they appear to be following the example of the French giants.
Like PSG, the Red Devils held a reputation for overspending and caring more about the profile of their signings than the substance behind them. And just as the Parisians have successfully shaken off that naïve, soft-touch reputation, Man Utd are in the process of doing the same.
PSG’s transformation: From bling-bling to smart shoppers
PSG have shown that financial power does not have to mean financial recklessness, and Man Utd are discovering the same.
The spending power of the Parisians was once considered unrivalled. Indeed, the Ligue 1 giants post the two biggest transfers in football history thanks to deals that brought Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to Parc des Princes.
While domestic success followed, the true goal was to win the Champions League.
It took the end of the ‘bling-bling’ era and the arrival of a more refined strategy to help lead the club to that target, all while playing some of the best football in the world.
In order to do this, PSG scaled back on the mega-money deals and instead focused on the €40-80 million bracket of the transfer market. What was seen from the outside as a club losing its ambition was instead an organisation becoming more sophisticated.
Of the teams that won the two Champions League titles, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the most expensive addition at €80m – a price that five of the Premier League’s traditional big six have blitzed past at least once in the last 12 months.
The exception, of course, is Manchester United.
This has led to the perception that Michael Carrick’s side, whose transfer strategy is overseen by director of football Jason Wilcox in conjunction with director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, have been penny pinching in the market.
Big moves have escaped them, with Elliot Anderson allowed to move to Manchester City for €135m being a prime example.
Man Utd finally buying like PSG
United, though, are working in the same area of the market that has brought success to PSG. Gone are the days of overpaying for talent – Anderson ranks among the most overpriced players in the market this summer – and instead there is a focus on securing both quality and value for money. Such deals are, of course, rare and that can make transfer business frustratingly slow.
Similarly, it also often sacrifices the potential of signing big names.
But over the course of the last year, there have been more hits than misses. Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were all costly additions around the €75m mark, but all have already shown why United were prepared to invest heavily in them. Meanwhile, the signing of Senne Lammens was perhaps the deal of the season at €21m.
Already this term, signing Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined €97m from Aston Villa and Chelsea appears to represent shrewder business than the likes of Man City, Tottenham and even Arsenal have managed.
There are, of course, difficulties that will force the Red Devils to pay above market value at times. The Premier League’s financial strength complicates securing value while the club’s historic reputation as free spenders naturally has selling clubs trying to extract maximum value from deals.
Man Utd’s project is about getting the right players in at the right price. It’s no longer about signing the biggest names and it’s certainly not about spending the most money. It’s about making each signing count. If United can do this as well as PSG have managed over the last three years, they are well on their way to restoring their status as Premier League title challengers.
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