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Forget Lewis Hall: Man United can save millions with genius £30m transfer raid Manchester United’s chances of signing Lewis Hall look slim - but they may have a more affordable back-up plan in place. After a couple of early additions to the midfield, the pace of Manchester United’s summer transfer business has slowed to a crawl – but they’re still likely to add at least a couple of new players before deadline day, and they’re especially keen to land a new left-back. The name at the top of their shortlist is Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall, but getting that deal over the line is proving to be quite the challenge. Having already lost several key players over the course of a turbulent transfer window, the Magpies are adamant that Hall won’t be leaving. As it stands, he seems to be out of reach. Manchester United are, therefore, working on a back-up plan, with several names seemingly on their shortlist – and one name, in particular, stands out as a sensible option as the new Premier League season draws closer. Manchester United left-back targets become clearer as Hall deal hopes fade With a deal for Hall seemingly out of the question, the names of a number of different players are cropping up in the gossip columns – ranging from rising young stars to more established talents. Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas, a 19-year-old who broke into his side’s starting team last season, is among those being monitored according to several sources including The Athletic. The Spaniard enjoyed an exceptional summer with his country at the European Under-19 Championship but has never played at the highest level, however, with all of his league appearances coming in La Liga 2. Talented though he is, he is more likely to be a long-term investment than to provide immediate competition for Luke Shaw down Manchester United’s left flank. Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has also been on United’s watchlist for some time, but injury concerns have dampened their enthusiasm. The 22-year-old, who has previously missed significant time due to major ankle and heel injuries, missed 10 matches over the course of the 2025/26 campaign due to muscular issues. TEAMtalk also allege that Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert is a potential target after the Frenchman enjoyed an impressive debut season at Dean Court, but United would run into similar issues to those they face with Hall – the Cherries are keen to keep hold of their best players and are highly unlikely to sell the 24-year-old for anything less than a vast sum. Which could leave David Raum as their best bet. Transfer journalist Graeme Bailey is among the sources suggesting that the RB Leipzig and Germany left-back is a target, and a combination of his qualities as a player and his contract situation might make him United’s best Plan B. Why a deal for David Raum makes sense for Man Utd The 28-year-old Raum has spent the last four years with Leipzig, establishing himself as a first-team regular under different head coaches and earning 39 caps for Germany in the process – he was a member of his country’s World Cup squad this summer, playing in two games. Much of Raum’s appeal will centre on the fact that he has just a year left on his contract. Although he has a release clause of £34m baked into his deal, it’s likely that he will be available for less than that, with Leipzig likely to settle for less than £30m as they attempt to recoup as much money as possible before he leaves. Raum could be a relatively cost-effective acquisition, especially when compared to a player like Hall or Truffert. He’s also has the experience that Salinas lacks and a worry-free injury history, unlike Balde – and plenty of the qualities that United are looking for, provided that they want to sign a positive, attacking full-back, as seems to be the case based on their shortlist. Raum is not necessarily the strongest defender, especially in one-on-one situations, where he loses just under half of his ground duels. Although he makes up for that deficiency somewhat with an aggressive playing style which creates a high volume of turnovers – he averaged over five ball recoveries per match last season in the Bundesliga, an impressive mark for a full-back – that aggression can come at the cost of some rash challenges. As well as being vulnerable to high-quality wingers, Raum conceded two penalties last season. He makes up for his defensive failings, however, by being a superb creative outlet going forward. A brilliant crosser of the ball – 35% of his crosses were on target last season, well above the typical average of around 22% in top-level leagues – Raum nine assists in 34 games in all competitions last year, along with a further 18 spread across the previous two seasons. Raum is also an excellent long-range passer as well who can create quick counter-attacks from deep areas, and has the pace and movement to join the attack in the final third and create opportunities for overlaps. If United want to improve their attacking output from the full-back position, there are few more qualified to do the job than Raum. The defensive trade-offs are arguably mitigated by the low cost of doing a deal, and in games in which Michael Carrick feels the need to prioritise rigidity at the back he would still have Shaw available to him. As it stands, there is no suggestion in the gossip columns that a formal bid has been made for Raum, likely because United have yet to give up hope on striking a deal for Hall – but that looks to be a distant prospect, and it would scarcely be a surprise if United acted on their interest in Raum before the end of the transfer window. It may well prove to be a savvy move if they do.