Manchester United's Project 150 title ambition will live or die by £100m transfer this summer Man Utd celebrate their 150th anniversary in two years and the target within the club is to mark it by winning the Premier League title once again. Comments Sport opinion Tyrone Marshall Senior Manchester Football Writer 11:43, 21 Apr 2026 View Image Manchester United need to replace Casemiro this summer and the decision will impact their ambitions of winning the league It was a watching brief on Sunday for Manchester United players, fans and staff. After doing the business at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they would have put their feet up a day later to tune in for what had been billed as a Premier League title decider. Manchester City vs Arsenal was clearly the biggest game of the league season to date and it might well prove to be the defining 90 minutes of the campaign. It leaves City on course to take the title once again and would condemn Mikel Arteta's side to a fourth successive second-place finish. As entertaining as those involved with United might have found the game, it is the type of fixture they want to be involved in themselves, and if Sir Jim Ratcliffe has his way, that will be the case in 2028. Click here to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter That is the year in which United celebrate their 150th anniversary and Ineos are standing by their Project 150 target of winning the Premier League in 2027/28. It gives them another year of building before launching that assault on top spot. It certainly feels more achievable than it has in recent years. United are improving this season, and as easy as it might be to point to the disappointing seasons being endured by Liverpool and Chelsea, Michael Carrick's side are clearly the third-best in the division. The parameters required to win the league are also changing. Liverpool claimed top spot with 84 points last season, and the maximum that Arsenal and City can get this year is 85. It doesn't look like any team is primed to return standards to the mid-to-high 90s. That will give everyone at Old Trafford the encouragement that they can achieve the lofty ambition of becoming champions of England again within a couple of years. Maybe games of the magnitude of Sunday's will involve them in April 2028. But there is still work to be done to get there. United need more signings to beef up the squad and improve the first XI. They probably need a new right-back and left-back by then, maybe another central defender, at least two or three midfielders, a left-winger and maybe another forward. That is a lot on the list for the director recruitment, Christopher Vivell, and the director of football, Jason Wilcox, but the challenge of winning the league in 2028 could well be defined by what happens in the summer of 2026. This is shaping up to be the most defining transfer window at Old Trafford in a long time. There have been pats on the back for last summer and that looks like being an excellent year of recruitment, but the challenge is going up a level again. United want at least two new midfielders this summer, and the priority is to replace Casemiro , who, over recent months, has suggested he might just be irreplaceable. The Brazilian is leaving United with his stock high. Replacing him is a major challenge for the club's recruitment department and one they have to get right. Make a mistake in what is arguably the most important position in a modern-day team and it could set the progress of this season back and make winning the title in 2028 almost impossible, especially given the fee involved in signing a new No.6. Content cannot be displayed without consent Wilcox and Vivell are aware of how big this signing is. Elliot Anderson is the top target, but with Nottingham Forest on course for safety and Manchester City also keen, securing his signature will be difficult. Alternatives both in the Premier League and Europe have been assessed. A modern-day midfielder, capable of breaking up play and doing the defensive work, but also setting the tempo and passing progressively, is the type of player wanted, but finding the right man won't be easy. If United get it right, then arguably the biggest piece of the jigsaw for Project 150 will have fallen into place. For all the discussion around the head coach role, it is the No.6 position that might be the biggest decision ahead at Old Trafford this summer. Article continues below Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. 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Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk