This may be the disappointing first signing of Man Utd's new owner

A few weeks ago the purchase of 25 per cent of Manchester United by Sir Jim Ratcliffe was officially confirmed. The CEO of INEOS chemicals group is from now on in charge of soccer-related decisions and has the mission to turn The Red Devils into one of the most important teams in England and Europe, as it was for decades until the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

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To achieve that goal, the new owner has many projects. He is willing to invest a fortune in the refurbishment of the Carrington training ground and Old Trafford, although he recently revealed that his preference is to build a completely new stadium that could become the 'Wembley of the North of England'. But that is not all. There will also need to be a renewal of the squad, getting rid of players who have failed to live up to expectations and agreeing to sign top level stars that will allow them to compete with giants such as Manchester City and Liverpool.

It has been rumored for weeks now that some players may leave in the next transfer window. Marcus Rashford was targeted by Paris Saint-Germain to replace Kylian Mbappé, while Raphael Varane is likely to leave as well. And the same could happen with Casemiro, who has been important to the team when he was fit to play, but has suffered a lot of injuries.

The surprising thing is who might be targeted to replace him. According to The Sun, Ratcliffe is interested in signing Luton Town midfielder Ross Barkley. He started his career at Everton, went through Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Aston Villa and then transferred to Chelsea, where he did not perform well. In 2022 he was signed by Nice, a club also managed by Ratcliffe, and after a year he joined The Hatters.

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How much is he worth?

Barkley is 30 years old and is experiencing a resurgence in his professional career, after failing at Chelsea. At Lutton Town he is showing a good level and has played 23 games this season, with 3 goals and 3 assists. According to Transfermarkt, his value is $7.5 million.