6 months ago
37
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 honours.
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, external 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,, external 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 maximise 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 apologised 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.
