Manchester United on Monday reached a verbal agreement to sign Christian Eriksen from Brentford as Erik ten Hag scrambles to deal with the fall-out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s intention to leave the club this summer.

While it is not known how much United will pay Brentford for Eriksen, transfers guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed that United have reached a verbal agreement with the 30-year-old Dane for a three-year stay at Manchester.

We take a took at how, if at all, Eriksen’s signing signals a change in ten Hag’s plans for the summer.

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Since the beginning of the summer transfer window, United had reportedly been prioritising a midfield overhaul, with several reports suggesting that Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was on the top of ten Hag’s list.

However, despite having a good relationship with the 25-year-old Dutchman, ten Hag has thus far failed to secure his services. After disagreements over the Dutchman’s valuation, United have reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Barcelona for a €65 million package, while discussions are ongoing for €20 million in add-ons. Despite the agreement between the two clubs, however, United have not yet agreed terms with de Jong.

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Additionally, United are also pushing to sign defensive reinforcements in the form of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, a signing that is expected to cost the club a pretty penny, with the defender expected set United back by least €45 million.

In other words, if United manage to secure the services of de Jong and Martinez, it would eat up the majority of the budget promised to ten Hag this summer.

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That, coupled with Ronaldo’s intention to leave, puts United in a tricky position. If Ronaldo does manage to secure a move out of United, it would leave the club without its primary goal scorer, and possibly create the necessity for an additional offensive signing, which is unlikely to come cheap.

Given this fact, it is possible (although not confirmed) that United are prioritising Eriksen’s signing over that of de Jong, given the Dutchman’s steep price tag. By securing a quality central midfielder capable of creating opportunities, United may be looking to create financial space for an offensive signing, with Ronaldo’s possible departure hanging over their heads.