Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged Ed Woodward to spend big this summer to bring in the “quality” Manchester United need to challenge for titles.
The Jadon Sancho speculation continues despite United missing the deadline set by Borussia Dortmund to meet their £108million valuation of the England international.
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And Solskjaer has reiterated his desire to go all out for their top targets as they seek to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League.
Solskjaer said: “We still have a way to go to get to the level of the teams at the top of the Premier League. They are too far ahead of us.
“We are still growing, getting better of course, but we are not the finished article. Nowhere near.
“We want to go as far as we possibly can in this tournament. I think we all realise we are in a special moment in history.
“But that will stretch all the squads and it means you need a big squad for next season.
“You need to plan ahead. It is not just about 11, 12, or 13 players. You have to have 19, 20, 21 or 22 that you really rely on because if you play every three days for a full year it’s going to be mentally and physically difficult.
“We are always working towards having a competitive squad and the challenge for us now is to take the next step.
“That means winning trophies and keep trying to close the gap to the top two teams.
“And we have also got to make sure that the teams who finished below us in the table stay behind us.”
Solskjaer doesn’t want to bring in squad players to Old Trafford, but sign individuals that will improve their starting lineup.
Solskjaer added: “It’s a race. You can see teams building. We’re always looking at the squad and player logistics.
“It is definitely about quality – and it is going to cost money to get in players who are better than the ones we already have.
“We’re just working as normal and sticking to a plan. Qualifying for the Champions League brings us a harder schedule, but it also gives us more motivation to be in with the best and challenging. That will make these players better.
“Champions League makes us more sporting and financially attractive, so that’s another factor.”
United face Sevilla on Sunday evening in their Europa League semi-final.