Manchester United are reportedly looking to offload players this summer to give themselves a Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) boost ahead of a potentially busy transfer window.
Under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sporting control of the club, we have already seen some brutal changes at Old Trafford resulting in some employees moving on from their jobs in favour of personnel deemed “best in class”. This appears to be no different when it comes to players.
It was reported in the UK at the end of April, initially by the Telegraph’s James Ducker, that United are prepared to listen to offers for the vast majority of players in the first-team squad. While that doesn’t mean they are actively attempting to force out most of the team at manager Erik ten Hag’s disposal, it does suggest Ratcliffe is eager to oversee an overhaul of the playing group while bringing in significant funds through sales.
The Sporting News looks at which players could be up for sale this summer and how much Man United could make from their talent pool.
MORE: Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Before we get into which players are potentially on their way out of the Theatre of Dreams this summer, it is worth highlighting that the Telegraph’s story highlighted three first-team stars who will not be sold in the next transfer window.
Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund are the only three squad members who are deemed “off limits”.
With that in mind, what’s the likelihood of others moving on, and how much money could United expect to make?
Arguably the most mind-boggling name on this list, considering he is the United captain and their most consistent player in the last five seasons, but could Fernandes be looking at making a move rather than the club offloading the Portuguese midfielder?
He was chatting with DAZN Portugal recently in an interview and said he won’t be thinking about it until after the Euros. So, does that mean he is thinking about leaving the club?
“It doesn’t just depend on me, does it? A player always has to want to be here, but at the same time, you have to want him to stay. At the moment, I feel there’s that on both sides,” he said.
“We could still end the season by winning the [FA] Cup. After that, we have a very important Euros coming up.
“So, if you want me to be very honest, if I have to think about not continuing in the Premier League, it won’t be until after the Euros because nothing will be able to take my focus away from the FA Cup final and the Euros, as there’s nothing more important than that at the moment.”
United would certainly not consider any offer for the playmaker that does not at least come close to the £67 million they paid to sign him back in January 2020.
Price estimation: £60-70m
Chance of leaving: Low
Another surprising name given that he was their top goalscorer last season is Marcus Rashford. He had a valuation of £120 million according to The Mirror in the 2022/23 season as he had 40 goal contributions, but he’s yet to reach half of that tally this campaign.
Conflicting reports are emerging around this potential transfer as some are suggesting the United man would be open to a move elsewhere but others are saying he is Manchester through and through and hopes to see a return to his best form.
Could this move also be centred around Erik ten Hag’s future at the club? Maybe not, but he has been punished twice for disciplinary issues under the Dutchman.
Price estimation: £70-80m
Chance of leaving: Moderate
After a terrific debut campaign at United, Casemiro’s form has essentially fallen off a cliff this season. Often bailed out by the excellence of Mainoo, the Brazilian’s ability to hold down the fort in midfield has been non-existent.
The problem for United is that he is on a contract until 2026 and earns a reported wage of over £300,000 per week.
To find a club willing to pay that sort of salary, you’d expect United would have to turn to the Saudi Pro League. Perhaps a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr could be on the cards.
Price estimation: £20-30m
Chance of leaving: High
One that many feel is almost certain to be moving on this summer is Raphael Varane. The injury-ridden defender has been unavailable for 45 games in his United career due to a range of different issues.
Varane’s current contract is set to expire in June 2024 and United could take a similar approach to the one with former goalkeeper David de Gea as they may look to let it run out, or re-sign the defender on reduced terms.
The club do have the option to trigger a one-year extension but that looks increasingly unlikely. Like Casemiro, a potential destination for the Frenchman would be Saudi Arabia.
Price estimation: Free agent
Chance of leaving: High
A tough subject to discuss but one that will crop up over the coming months is Mason Greenwood and whether he will return to Old Trafford.
Last August, the club released a statement ensuring fans that it was mutually agreed that Greenwood would restart his career away from United. He moved to Getafe and has come up with eight goals, but there would undoubtedly be opposition to any attempt to bring him back to the club permanently. Greenwood was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022, with all three charges related to the same complainant, but the charges were discontinued last year.
The decision to send him to La Liga was made before Ratcliffe and INEOS took sporting control of United, and the new investor was pressed on this matter in February, to which he said: “He’s a Manchester United footballer, so we are in charge of football. So the answer is, yeah, we have to make decisions. It’s quite clear we have to make a decision. There is no decision that’s been made.”
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that United will be looking to sell the forward this summer and a major reason for that is because any money from his sale would count as pure profit under PSR regulations given he is an academy graduate.
Price estimation: £20-30m
Chance of leaving: High
Two players United seemed desperate to move on last summer have ended up being among their most important this season.
Harry Maguire’s professionalism and injuries to other key defensive players has seen him take control of the back line and come up with some incredibly important performances in 2023/24. The same can be said of Scott McTominay, who led the goalscoring charts for a lot of the season with winners against Aston Villa, Brentford and Chelsea.
The United duo were reportedly on the market last year and West Ham at one point wanted both but fell short of the club’s valuations.
