Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's message to transfer team revealed ahead of January

Transfer and takeover news continues to dominate the agenda at Manchester United.

The Red Devils are looking for a new sporting director, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal for a 25 per cent stake in the club nearing its completion.

According to the Telegraph, Ratcliffe is expected to take advice from Sir Alex Ferguson, who is an admirer of Crystal Palace’s sporting director Dougie Freedman. The report last month also claimed Lee Congerton is also being considered, along with former AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara and Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta.

And one of their first jobs will be to draw up transfer plans ahead of the next two windows. And the Daily Mail report Ratcliffe will tell his recruitment team to 'prioritise homegrown talent'.

They report: "Mail Sport has learned the billionaire businessman is eager to see more of a domestic presence - particularly within the core of the team - at United. "Historically, United have shown a commitment to showcasing local and domestic talent - but, like with many other clubs, there has been a greater focus on the foreign transfer markets in recent years."

A centre-back is understood to be high on the wanted list, though there has also been reports this week they will look abroad at possible options.

What else has been written about Manchester United's transfer plans?

Writing in his Caught Offside column, Fabrizio Romano said: "It remains their plan to invest in a top centre-back in 2024, and on the list they have some specific names: Antonio Silva of Benfica, Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen – these are some of the names they are scouting.

“Soon they will have a new director under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, so let’s see then who they’ll decide is the player they really want, but for sure they will sign a top centre-back in 2024."