Man Utd open to offers for nearly all of squad
Manchester
United are willing to listen to offers for virtually all their first-team squad
this summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to turn the club back into challengers
for major honors.
It is
understood Marcus Rashford is on the list, although club sources are adamant
their preference is to keep the England striker and work with him to restore
the form that brought him 30 goals for the first-time last season.
Paris
St-Germain have previously been linked with Rashford and are set to
lose star man Kylian Mbappe, although sources in the past have distanced the
Champions League semi-finalists from a move for the 26-year-old.
Of manager
Erik ten Hag’s regular starters, youngsters Rasmus Hojlund, Kobbie Mainoo and
Alejandro Garnacho are thought to be exempt.
It would
take a major offer before United would even consider selling skipper Bruno
Fernandes, goalkeeper Andre Onana and full-back Diogo Dalot, who signed a new
five-year deal less than 12 months ago.
The actual
amount of business they eventually do is open to question. It is not clear what
the interest will be like in any of United’s squad, nor the fees they might
command. They have been poor at selling players in the past. Daniel James’ £25m
move to Leeds in 2021 was the last time they raised £20m for a player.
However,
in the week when Ten Hag is due to have substantive talks with new technical
director Jason Wilcox about what he sees as the state of his squad and the
problems he is facing, United’s position, as first reported in the Daily
Telegraph, is instructive.
With
current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in place for next season, the
club are having to be careful about what they spend, especially as they are now
virtually certain to miss out on a place in the Champions League.
It is
likely they will have to either finish sixth in the Premier League or beat
Manchester City in the FA Cup final to qualify for the Europa League. They are
currently sixth, one point ahead of Newcastle, who they play at Old Trafford on
15 May.
It means
they will also look to maximize the fees they generate in the transfer market.
Some
experienced players will leave as their contracts have expired. This includes
striker Anthony Martial. Defender Raphael Varane is also likely to figure in
that list as his contract expires in the summer. Sofyan Amrabat is expected to
return to Fiorentina after the Morocco midfielder endured a difficult season on
loan.
Midfield
pair Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have one and two years left on their
contracts respectively, but both have had disappointing campaigns. United were
willing to sell Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay last summer, and though both
have made significant contributions this season, the club are unlikely to stand
in their way if the right deal could be done.
Meanwhile,
midfielders Donny van de Beek and Hannibal Mejbri are currently on loan at
Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevilla respectively.
It is
expected Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho will also leave. Any fee generated
for Greenwood would be regarded as profit under PSR as he is a homegrown
player. Sancho has not apologized to Ten Hag for his social media outburst in
September and is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
Ten Hag’s
future is also under huge scrutiny amid potential interest from Ajax about a
return to the Dutch giants. If United were to decide to let Ten Hag carry on,
they would have to decide whether to offer him a contract extension as his
present deal expires in 2025.
Sources at
United have suggested it could be the 2025-26 season before the club are really
able to flex their muscles again.
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