Manchester United's new Toure departure is just awaiting official announcement! Three young talents confirmed transfers, one loan canceled due to injury.

Before the February 2 winter transfer deadline, Manchester United is unlikely to have significant first-team changes, but multiple academy youngsters will be sent out on loan. Notably, Malian defensive midfielder Sekou Kone is set to join the Red Devils’ satellite club owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe — Swiss side Lausanne-Sport.

Though the Manchester United first team has a shortage of defensive midfielders, 19-year-old Kone is not yet qualified to compete. He will temporarily leave the club to play for Lausanne-Sport’s first team to integrate into European football. Kone joined United in 2024 from Mali’s Guidars and has been hailed as the "new Yaya Toure," but his progress has been hindered by injuries.

Therefore, Kone cannot join Manchester United’s first team yet and must prove his ability in the Swiss top league first. It is reported that Kone’s transfer is in the final stages of paperwork signing, and he has even trained alongside his new teammates at Lausanne-Sport — since they are “one of us,” the formalities are just a formality.

According to British media, Abdullah Kavukcu, vice chairman of Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray, has arrived in the UK to explore the possibility of signing Manuel Ugarte from Manchester United. They initially hoped to loan Kobe Meno, but he has regained his place as a starter and is not leaving. Carrick will also not allow Ugarte to transfer since the team only has three defensive midfielders; if Casemiro or Meno get injured, Ugarte would be the sole backup.

Manchester United will only permit academy players to leave, and several young players are expected to depart before the transfer deadline at 7 p.m. on February 2. Similar to Kone, 22-year-old defensive midfielder Toby Collier’s move to Championship side Hull City is just awaiting official announcement.

Collier’s loan deal was completed last week, and Fabrizio Romano confirmed the loan a week ago. Hull City wanted to announce it earlier, but Collier preferred to fully recover from his injury at Manchester United before joining his new club.

Rhys Bennett and Ethan Wheatley are two other players about to leave. The 22-year-old defender Bennett will join League Two club Fleetwood Town on a loan with an option to buy, allowing a permanent transfer at the end of the season.

Wheatley has already agreed to join Bradford City, although the transfer has not been officially announced yet. However, Doncaster’s manager Grant McCann has already acknowledged him as a Bradford player! Bradford currently sit fifth in League One and have a chance to push for promotion to the Championship.

Center-back Tyler Fredricson was also expected to go on loan for development, but unfortunately, he suffered a calf injury that will sideline him for a month. Consequently, negotiations with Belgian and Championship clubs were halted. Although Fredricson is expected to be out for only a month, the loan deal cannot proceed, so he must stay at Manchester United, meaning it will be difficult for him to feature for the first team this season. Carrick’s formation uses only two center-backs, and Fredricson is the sixth choice.

The only player with uncertain prospects this winter is 24-year-old Dutch striker Zirkzee, who wants to leave to get more playing time ahead of the World Cup. Currently injured, Zirkzee has attracted interest from Serie A clubs Juventus and Roma. Romano reports that Manchester United still have the door closed, but if the club agrees to let him go, Italian teams will act quickly. Additionally, Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe has added him to their wishlist and intends to negotiate with Manchester United.