Erik ten Hag is putting a brave face on Manchester United's transfer window so far, but the manager's public comments on Friday also upped the ante as far as John Murtough and Richard Arnold are concerned.
United have so far added Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen to Ten Hag's squad, but negotiations over his top target, Frenkie de Jong, have stalled and there are still no reinforcements in attack.
A fee has been agreed with Juventus for Adrien Rabiot and football director Murtough was in Turin yesterday for a meeting with the player's representatives. READ MORE: Ronaldo has perfect United motivation against Brentford But United's window is beginning to turn into a farce this week.
The chances of De Jong signing appear to be receding with Chelsea now interested while a move for 33-year-old striker Marko Arnautovic collapsed due to predictable outrage.