Sales are needed this summer
Sales are needed this summer
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's suggestion that Manchester United would have gone bust by Christmas had they not implemented a number of cost-cutting measures was extreme to say the least. But it's clear the club isn't in the best place financially.
No European football next season means United need to be more careful than ever before in the transfer market, and so sales will be absolutely necessary if they're to sign the players Ruben Amorim needs to make his 3-4-2-1 system work.
have already forked out £62.5million for Matheus Cunha, while a bid in excess of £60m has been tabled for Bryan Mbeumo. With a striker, midfielder, goalkeeper and maybe even a full-back still on the club's summer wishlist, players need to go before players can arrive.
It's been no surprise to see business slow down in recent weeks, with the Premier League's financial year ending on June 30.
A lot of clubs will be waiting until after that date passes to complete deals that have been in the works for a number of weeks, and so next week should provide a clearer picture of what is going to be possible for United in this summer's transfer window.
United are looking to offload a whole host of players this summer, with Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Alejandro Garnacho on the list of priority sales. The club are prepared to sell any player in transfer window if the right offer is tabled, but the aforementioned quartet simply must be moved on.
United want £40m for Rashford and they must sell Antony for £32.5m to avoid making a loss on the Brazilian under the league's profitability and sustainability rules. £15m would see United avoid making a loss under PSR rules on Sancho, and it's difficult to see them getting any more than that given his form in recent years and the fact that Chelsea paid £5m to avoid committing to a £25m deal for the former Borussia Dortmund man.
Napoli tabled a bid of £40m for Garnacho in January, and United are said to want north of that figure this summer. £50m might be enough to sign the Argentina international.
If United can move all four players on, they'll hope to add roughly £137m to their kitty.
Whether that is possible will become clear next week as the June 30 'deadline' passes and clubs look to kick into gear in the transfer market.
If news of parties interested in Rashford, Antony, Sancho and Garnacho doesn't ramp up next week, United could be in for a long summer.
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