Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reported to have ‘declared war’ on new contract negotiations, with a source revealing the billionaire’s new determination to drive down costs – but his frugality will force Kobbie Mainoo out and push the teenage star into the arms of Chelsea, a report has claimed.
The Red Devils are more than a year into the co-ownership of INEOS chief Ratcliffe and it’s fair to say that, an FA Cup triumph aside, the new era has not got off to the most glorious of starts. With redundancies announced at the club, a hike in season-ticket prices unveiled and with a playing squad who currently can not force their way into the top half of the table, the size of the task to revive the fortunes of Manchester United is perhaps a more sizeable one than initially realised.
With Ratcliffe this week also unveiling ambitious plans to build a ‘New Trafford’ that will seat 100,000 spectators, the club knows that some tough decisions are going to be needed to get the club to where he wants to be. With several high-earner but under-performing stars already shown the door, Ratcliffe has shown he is a man on a mission with regards to his efforts to cut costs and keep United on the right side of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
That frugality is also set to be passed down to any new player wishing to negotiate a new deal. And with Mainoo currently locked in talks over a new deal, a report in The Sun claims Ratcliffe is ready to get tough.
‘Salaries for new signings and stars attempting to renegotiate their deals will be massively scaled back’, with ‘huge bonuses offered instead when results improve’, the report states.
A United source added: “The club is moving towards performance-based contracts. This has been discussed with agents going forward.
“We will still pay competitively but we do need to manage our wage bill and ensure we are getting value for money.”
It’s claimed the change will immediately result in a lower base pay offered to stars and those currently locked in new deal talks – starting with Mainoo.
The academy graduate is currently on a deal worth a meagre £20,000 a week but has been in talks over a payrise for some months now.
But with the report claiming Ratcliffe is ‘refusing to budge’ in a bid to ‘change the culture’ at United, it seems Mainoo could now be ‘forced out’ as a result.
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How much Mainoo wants and what Ratcliffe has said
Per reports, Mainoo is seeking a deal in the region of £150,000 a week to stay at Old Trafford – a figure that would thrust him into the higher echelons of United’s top earners.
However, while the club recognises that Mainoo is worthy of a pay hike on the deal he signed back in February 2023, the fact that Ratcliffe is dead set on making the 10-cap England star the first to fall in line with the new policy could yet see a parting of ways.
Sources have made it clear to us that Chelsea are keeping a very close watch on developments and could yet present a proposal to sign the player in the summer if United make clear they are open to his sale.
Furthermore, it’s also been suggested that new coach Ruben Amorim does not feel Mainoo is entirely suited to playing in a 3-4-2-1 formation and could sacrifice the player to help with their own team strengthening plans, were a sale to be agreed.
Valued at between £50m and £60m by United, it was reported earlier this month that the 19-year-old was of the mind to ‘reject’ the proposal put on the table to him by the United hierarchy.
Despite claims both Mainoo and winger Alejandro Garnacho could be sold this summer, Ratcliffe insisted earlier this week that the club intends to keep both.
When asked if their sales are being considered, Ratcliffe responded in an intreview with Gary Neville for The Overlap: “No no. We won’t be selling players because of the state we are in financially.
“The club had got bloated so we reduced that and will finish it with a lean and efficient organisation. That’s how we will address the costs. The player decisions will all be focused on how we are going to improve performance. That’s all.”
Man Utd transfer news: Winger offered on a free; Mount signing destroyed
Ratcliffe has also this week made clear he wants the club to avoid costly big-money signings with more care and data-driven decision making done before signing off on signings.
To that end, the United chief named Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Casemiro, Antony and Jadon Sancho as big-money deals that the club still owe money on and were perhaps signings they ought to have thought twice before making.
Ratcliffe stopped short of naming Mason Mount on that list, though one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most-trusted stars from yesteryear has absolutely gone in both barrells on the former Chelsea man, labelling his signing a ‘catastrophe’ and explaining why his signing may be ‘the worst piece of business in football history’.
Meanwhile, United have been offered the chance to bring in one of the game’s most decorated stars in Leroy Sane on a free transfer. The Bayern Munich star is 110 days away from becoming a free agent and his representatives are reported to have sounded out United over a possible move – though understandably, the Red Devils are not the only side in the mix.
Elswhere, United are also taking a shine to two young Argentine stars, with their signings very much indicative of the way in which Ratcliffe wants the club to operate.
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