Erik ten Hag set to continue questionable Man Utd transfer strategy with next signing

Manchester United are on the brink of securing a deal for Bayern Munich's right-back Noussair Mazraoui, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka closing in on a move to to West Ham United.

Mazraoui, 26, was initially set to join West Ham last week, but the move fell through, leading the Hammers to shift their focus to long-time target Wan-Bissaka.

West Ham had previously shown interest in acquiring Wan-Bissaka on loan during Erik ten Hag's inaugural season as United manager. Although United were open to selling the defender two years ago, they decided to retain him last summer following a period of improved performance.

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London-born Wan-Bissaka, 26, would be open to returning to the capital, five years after his transfer to United Mazraoui, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax before his move to Bayern two years ago, was a key player for Morocco during their journey to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Ten Hag has a history of targeting players from his time at Ajax or in the Eredivisie, and United could still go ahead with a move for Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt, who served as captain under Ten Hag at Ajax.

Ten Hag has come out to defend United's transfer strategy, particularly the interest in De Ligt, despite his tendency to sign familiar faces. "I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich. But, believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process (of shortlisting targets)."

Sofyan Amrabat made history as the first Moroccan to don the United shirt last season, even though there were initial reservations from former football director John Murtough about signing a player based on their international exploits.

With Amrabat currently away from his parent club Fiorentina and looking for a permanent move, United are eyeing him as a potential midfield boost, especially if their pursuit of Manuel Ugarte doesn't pan out.

United have also earmarked free agent Adrien Rabiot and Martin Zubimendi as possible alternatives, although any new midfield acquisition might hinge on offloading a current player.

Liverpool.com says: United is repeating its history of signing players than Ten Hag has worked with in the past and it has not always gone to plan. Mazraoui would probably be an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka but will need to hit the ground running to avoid Ten Hag facing more questions about his policy.