Sir Jim Ratcliffe could raise £80m with much-needed Man Utd clear-out
Seven Man Utd transfers Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants answers for as trio set for January exits
Sir Jim Ratcliffe can instigate a Manchester United squad reshuffle if his 25 per cent buy-in goes through before the January transfer window. Part of the effort to support manager Erik ten Hag will involve offloading those deemed surplus to requirements, and the Dutchman has four players on his books who could be used to raise a fair chunk of cash.
The clearest item on Sir Jim’s transfer to-do list is to find a new home for Jadon Sancho. The winger has been banished from Ten Hag’s first team due to a public spat, and having refused to apologise, their relationship appears to be beyond repair.
United splashed an eye-watering £73million to lure Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. But two-and-a-half lacklustre seasons at Old Trafford have taken a sledgehammer to his market value, which currently stands at a lowly £28m according to Transfermarkt, and the Red Devils would surely have to take a painful loss if they moved him on.
Shifting his mammoth salary from the wage bill would at least give Ten Hag more freedom, but interested parties are widely deemed more likely to try and negotiate a loan rather than a permanent deal.
Don’t miss… O’Sullivan’s ‘scary’ three-day jolly with Beckham left snooker icon staggered
Raphael Varane is also on the chopping block, with the World Cup-winning defender rumoured to be looking for a way out after slipping down Ten Hag’s pecking order. Bayern Munich and Chelsea have been linked with his signature.
Although he’s on the wrong side of his 30th birthday, Varane could still fetch United a healthy £30m, freeing up space for Sir Jim and Ten Hag to make January squad additions where necessary.
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Read more…
Everything we know about Tottenham investigation as club risk points deduction[LATEST]
Arsenal have four transfer options to partner Declan Rice as trio near exit[TRANSFERS]
Barnsley kicked out of FA Cup and non-league side reinstated for second round[NEWS]
A particularly glaring example of a player who must be moved on is Donny van de Beek. His £35m arrival from Ajax three years ago will surely go down as one of the worst signings in the Premier League era, and his market value has plummeted to just under £9m.
It was believed that former Ajax boss Ten Hag’s appointment at Old Trafford would have given Van de Beek a new lease of life, but 12 goalless appearances in all competitions is all he has to show for the past two seasons.
Anthony Martial has been similarly ineffective at the business end of the pitch, with the Frenchman’s eight-year spell with the Red Devils in danger of coming to an end.
Premier League goals have been hard to come by for United on the whole this term, with no team in the top 12 managing fewer. And Martial, valued at a meagre £13m, has not managed a single one to ease the pressure on his manager.
Source: Read Full Article