Manchester United must sell players before they can buy Brentford stopper Nathan Collins.
The Red Devils started the 2025/26 season with a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday, although manager Ruben Amorim and captain Bruno Fernandes felt that several players impressed.
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Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were a threat throughout the game, and defender Matthijs de Ligt often got the better of Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres.
While there were noticeable improvements in United’s performance compared to last year’s season, many supporters still want the club to make more reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
However, the Daily Mail claims that Amorim will not be able to sign Brentford stopper Collins without selling players first, which could give other stakeholders such as Liverpool a significant advantage in the battle for the defender’s signature.
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Do Manchester United need Nathan Collins in this transfer window?
During his time as United manager, Amorim has used a 3-4-3 system, but he has not always been able to set up three natural stoppers due to injury problems.
Lisandro Martínez has been injured a lot and is not ready for a comeback until the end of October due to a serious knee injury, and left-back Luke Shaw had to play as a centre-back against Arsenal.
Signing a new centre-back would also make sense as Harry Maguire is 32 years old and could start to show signs of decline, so the 24-year-old Collins could perhaps secure the future of United’s defence.
It should be mentioned that both goalkeepers André Onana and Altay Bayindir have been criticised for their performances, and if United manage to raise money, Amorim may be tempted to bring in a new goalkeeper as their first priority.
Can Manchester United beat Liverpool in the battle for Nathan Collins?
Manchester United have previously beaten clubs such as Real Madrid in the battle for players, when centre-back Leny Yoro chose to move from Lille to Old Trafford instead of Spain.
The opportunity to be a regular in the team at United could be appealing to Collins, as he may not be guaranteed regular game time at Liverpool under Arne Slot.
Virgil van Dijk is likely to be a regular in the team until at least next season, and although the future of Ibrahima Konaté is uncertain, Liverpool have already signed 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni this summer.
Collins has experience as both a right- and centre-back, and he wouldn’t necessarily have to compete for a place in the team with Yoro, who prefers to play on the right.
