Manchester United made their first signing of the summer on Wednesday morning, with Mason Mount arriving from Chelsea in a £55m deal.
The England international will allegedly largely be used in a midfield three next season, with Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag believing that he is the perfect player to operate alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
Christian Eriksen will also play plenty of football next season, while the club are said to be considering bringing in another midfielder, with Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat thought to be a target.
A recent report claimed that Amrabat has already agreed personal terms with Man United, but he is only expected to arrive if there are midfield exits at Old Trafford this summer.
With that in mind, Sports Mole picks out three midfielders who could potentially be on their way out of the 20-time English champions during the summer market.
Scott McTominay
© Reuters
McTominay's future is currently being called into question, with Newcastle United, West Ham United, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion among the clubs to be linked with his services.
The 26-year-old was a regular last season, featuring on 39 occasions in all competitions, scoring three goals, but he only started 10 times in the Premier League, having fallen down the pecking order.
Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes and now Mount are all ahead of him in terms of the roles in midfield, so he will have to leave in order to become a regular starter at this stage of his career.
The Scotland international is thought to be valued by Man United in the region of £40m, and the Red Devils are expected to listen to serious offers for him in the current market.
McTominay has shown that he is a dependable performer at Premier League level, and he is likely to move to another top-flight club if he indeed departs Old Trafford.
Fred
© Reuters
Fred was heavily involved for Man United last season, making 56 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and contributing six assists in the process.
Like McTominay, though, the Brazil international is not seen as a regular starter, with only 12 of his 35 Premier League appearances last season coming from the first whistle.
Fulham have been credited with an interest in the central midfielder, while Roma head coach Jose Mourinho is believed to be keen to explore the possibility of bringing him to Serie A.
Fred moved to Old Trafford from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018, and he has now represented the 20-time English champions on 213 occasions in all competitions.
The 30-year-old is thought to be available for around £20m this summer, and it would certainly not be a surprise to see him move on ahead of the new season.
Donny van de Beek
© Reuters
A potential summer move for Van de Beek will largely depend on his recovery from a serious knee injury, which has kept him on the sidelines since January.
The Netherlands international, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax, was restricted to just 10 appearances for the Red Devils last season after returning from an unsuccessful loan spell at Everton.
Van de Beek is in the latter stages of his recovery, with the midfielder back on the training field, and it will be fascinating to see what happens with him this summer.
There is no getting away from the fact that the 26-year-old has struggled since arriving at Old Trafford, but he had started to work his way into the side before picking up his injury against Bournemouth.
At this stage, McTominay and Fred are more likely to depart, but if one or both stay and Amrabat arrives, it is probable that Van de Beek will be on the way out once again this summer.
Matt Law
