Manchester United could be on the verge of making two costly transfer mistakes before the new season even begins.
Radek Vitek and Harry Amass both enjoyed hugely encouraging loan spells last season and have shown enough ability to deserve genuine consideration in the senior squad.
There are understandable reasons why the club may be prepared to sell them, but whether that is the right long-term decision is open to serious debate.
What is far harder to justify is the possibility of letting them leave for fees that fall well below their true market value.
Undervaluing Radek Vitek
United reportedly believe they could realistically receive offers of around £15 million for Vitek.
The Czech goalkeeper swept the board at Bristol City by winning the Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards.
He was one of the standout goalkeepers in the Championship, making 136 saves over the campaign with a success rate of 71 percent.
Vitek kept 12 clean sheets, only five fewer than Carl Rushworth, despite the latter playing five additional matches.
Rushworth is now expected to complete a permanent move to Coventry City in a deal that could reportedly reach £30 million.
INEOS should use that valuation as the benchmark rather than accepting a significantly lower fee for a younger goalkeeper with similar potential.
Harry Amass is worth much more
The same argument applies to Harry Amass, another academy graduate whose valuation appears surprisingly modest.
The 19-year-old is one of the club’s highest-rated academy stars, but United could sell him for as little as £6m.
Amass already looks capable of performing for a Premier League club, even if questions remain over whether he can eventually become a first-choice left-back at the very highest level.
Modern transfer fees are increasingly determined by future potential rather than present ability.
Mateus Fernandes perfectly illustrates that trend after securing an £85m move to Tottenham Hotspur despite suffering consecutive relegations with Southampton and West Ham United.
West Ham refused to lower their asking price because they believed his long-term ceiling justified every penny.
Amass possesses a similarly exciting profile as an attack-minded full-back with enormous room for development.
His quality was evident against Rosenborg, where he produced both a goal and an assist while constantly threatening in the final third.
United themselves recently paid £4m, plus a possible £4m in add-ons, to sign Tynan Thompson from Tottenham.
He has yet to play for the first team, unlike Amass, who has already made seven appearances for the Red Devils.
INEOS deserve enormous credit for improving United’s recruitment strategy, but extracting maximum value from outgoing transfers remains an area where significant improvement is still needed.
Stats from Fotmob.com