Manchester United will aim to bring in a new central midfielder in the summer transfer window, even if they also keep Marcel Sabitzer beyond his loan spell, according to Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest on Sabitzer and Man United?

The Austrian midfielder arrived on loan from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window following an injury to Christian Eriksen, and whilst there is no optional buy clause in his contract, United may aim to keep him at Old Trafford.

United are believed to be targeting a central midfielder to play alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, and whilst Sabitzer would likely not be the starting option, if he does stay it will not prevent a move for another signing.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano emphasised that United's plans for the midfield position would not be impacted by Sabitzer potentially joining permanently.

"From what I understand, no matter what happens with Marcel Sabitzer, Bayern and Manchester United will discuss that at the end of the season, Erik ten Hag wants a new midfielder to join in the summer, so Manchester United will be in the market for midfielders," he stated.

"How important will be that midfielder? It also depends on how many outgoings that will be at Manchester United. They need to make some money with the outgoings."

Should United keep Sabitzer?

The 29-year-old has made 18 appearances for United, scoring three times and assisting once, and has shown occasional flashes of quality, which included a brace against Sevilla in the Europa League.

Having experienced squad depth for European competition may serve United well, but there are other factors to consider.

At 29, Sabitzer represents yet another short-term signing at United, and these deals have failed catastrophically in the past, with experienced stars such as Bastian Schweinsteiger proving to be poor value for money.

Sabitzer has not forced his way into the United starting XI reguarly, and if they do recruit in the summer, he will find game-time even more difficult to come by.

With reported wages of around £210k-per-week, he will not be a cheap signing, and Ten Hag may be better off looking elsewhere for depth options after signing a starting midfielder.

It remains to be seen what will happen with both Sabitzer and fellow loanee Wout Weghorst, but if United can secure Champions League qualification, then they may need to target higher-quality players than the two January arrivals.