Christian Eriksen may already know his dream Manchester United shirt number if he seals transfer

After a slow start to the summer transfer window at Old Trafford, Manchester United will be hoping that the beginning of pre-season next week will speed up their hopes of concluding their first signing.

United, who will face Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening day of the 2022/23 campaign in just under seven weeks' time, are hoping to add five new faces to manager Erik ten Hag's squad this summer, in a bid to put last season's failings behind them. A plethora of names have been linked with moves to M16 over the last few months, but United are now trying to reduce the size of their shortlist to land their top targets.

As well as remaining hopeful of luring Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford, the club is also interested in soon-to-be free agent Christian Eriksen. The Denmark international is out-of-contract at Brentford on June 30 and is yet to commit his future to the Londoners, sparking interest from elsewhere.

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United, who have been linked with the 30-year-old in the past, have taken a liking to the former Tottenham Hotspur man, but face competition from several clubs. Ten Hag is desperate to add to his midfield options this summer and Eriksen, who scored one goal and grabbed four assists in 11 Premier League appearances for Brentford last term, would add a wealth of experience and quality to his armoury.

Although United are not usually associated with free signings, more often going for the Hollywood effect with big-money transfer fees, the addition of Eriksen to the squad would be an impressive and sensible addition; he knows the Premier League inside out and would add another attacking element to