To buy, one must sell. Manchester United (MU) will listen to proposals to bring in a maximum of 13 players in the summer of 2023, hoping to raise up to £100 million for new signings. A major exodus is expected at Old Trafford in the near future.
The English press revealed that the budget allocated to coach Erik ten Hag for transfers this window has been reduced to around £120 million due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions. This poses a significant challenge for MU, as they are targeting the acquisition of a midfielder, a forward, and a new goalkeeper. With a thin squad that proved to be a weakness in the previous season, the Red Devils aim to bring in more than just three new players. However, to accomplish that, the club needs additional funds, specifically from player sales to balance the books and avoid breaching FFP regulations.
That is one of the reasons why MU rejected Chelsea's demand of £65 million for midfielder Mason Mount. The Red Devils want to save as much money as possible, as they have other targets to pursue instead of focusing on one or two stars. The financial barrier also complicates the pursuit of a world-class striker, as players like Harry Kane from Tottenham, Victor Osimhen from Napoli, and Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta are priced too high, nearing £100 million. MU is also in negotiations with Inter Milan for goalkeeper Andre Onana, who is valued at around £40 million. However, recent reports suggest that MU may extend the contract of De Gea instead, as signing a new goalkeeper would be too expensive.
Faced with immediate difficulties, MU is set for an unprecedented purge in the summer transfer window of 2023, with hopes of generating at least £50 million, or even £100 million, to reinvest. The Red Devils are willing to part ways with 13 players to achieve their goals. However, all these plans are still on paper, and in reality, selling all 13 stars in a single transfer window is impractical, especially when the availability of MU's players is not as high as the desired targets. Donny van de Beek, Fred, Anthony Elanga, Hannibal Mejbri, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, and Brandon Williams are the seven names currently on the market. Among them, Van de Beek, Fred, and Elanga are priced the highest at £20 million.
Previously, MU sold young midfielder Zidane Iqbal to Utrecht in the Netherlands for a mere £800,000 - a figure that is insignificantly low. In other cases, the Red Devils are open to proposals for captain Harry Maguire, midfielder Scott McTominay, and goalkeeper Dean Henderson. MU plans to sell Maguire and McTominay for £40 million each, while Henderson is valued at £20 million. If successful, the club will earn a total of £100 million, as initially desired. However, as mentioned, this is not an easy task as no club has agreed to those figures due to overestimation compared to their actual abilities.
Additionally, MU could also sell winger Jadon Sancho and forward Anthony Martial if they receive suitable offers. The potential departure of Martial is not surprising, as the French striker has never fully realized his potential since joining Old Trafford. However, Sancho's case is more regrettable. The 23-year-old player arrived at MU two years ago from Dortmund for a substantial fee of nearly £73 million. However, in the past two seasons, Sancho has struggled to adapt to the Premier League environment. So far, he has made 79 appearances for MU, contributing 12 goals and 6 assists. In November of last year, Sancho even underwent a period of individual training due to physical and psychological issues. It can be argued that MU made a poor investment in Sancho, which is why they are willing to include him in the list of players they want to sell.
In conclusion, it is clear that MU is aiming for a true revolution ahead of the 2023/24 season, in order to provide coach Ten Hag with the strongest and highest-quality squad to compete for trophies. However, this is merely the intention of MU, and the success or failure depends on various factors. Most importantly, it relies on whether any club is interested in buying MU's surplus players and at what price. MU certainly won't accept selling at excessively low prices, and this poses a significant challenge for their purge.
List of players available for sale at MU in the summer of 2023: Players on the market: Van de Beek (£20 million), Fred (£20 million), Elanga (£13 million), Mejbri (£10 million), Telles (£10 million), Bailly (£2 million), Williams (£5 million). Players willing to listen to offers: Maguire (£40 million), McTominay (£40 million), Henderson (£20 million). Potentially sold at a reasonable price: Sancho (£45 million), Martial (£25 million).
