Man Utd want £190m from THREE giant sales to fund summer revolution

Manchester United are open to selling three major-name players to give Ruben Amorim funds and room to complete a monumental rebuild, according to a report.

Man Utd were content to make just a single major signing in the winter window. Patrick Dorgu – costing €30m plus €5m in add-ons – arrived to fill the left wing-back spot.

Numerous other positions in Amorim’s squad require attention, with goalkeeper, right wing-back, central midfield, one of the No 10 spots and striker all ripe for improvement.

What’s more, United are now a man down at centre-half after Lisandro Martinez suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Nonetheless, the only new faces aside from Dorgu to arrive were teenage defenders Diego Leon and Ayden Heaven.

The Red Devils did open the door to surprise sales of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. The club’s reasoning was purely financial, with the sales of homegrown stars extra lucrative for clubs.

Indeed, the proceeds from those types of deals are logged as ‘pure profit’ on the books and greatly enhance a side’s spending power.

Ultimately, no bids for Mainoo were received and the only offer for Garnacho – £42m from Napoli – was well below United’s expectations.

The pair remained at Old Trafford, but according to a fresh update from The Guardian, both Mainoo and Garnacho will remain up for sale in the summer.

Again, United’s reasoning is finance-based, with the report stating: ‘Manchester United face another difficult transfer window in the summer because of limited finances, with the ability to considerably strengthen Ruben Amorim’s squad dependent on accruing a profit from player sales.’

Accordingly, United ‘remain open to selling Garnacho and Mainoo’, while Marcus Rashford also has the green light to leave.

Man Utd want £190m from triple sale

Rashford joined Aston Villa on a six-month loan at the end of the winter window. His deal contains an option to buy worth £40m.

However, sources have informed TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, that Rashford already has his sights set on playing abroad once the Villa loan concludes.

Rashford’s preference last month was joining Barcelona. The LaLiga giant were open to loaning the forward, though their perilous financial position torpedoed their hopes.

A move could be revisited six months from now, with United hopeful of collecting £40m in any permanent sale.

Mainoo is said by The Guardian to be valued at £80m-plus, while Garnacho’s valuation was listed at £70m.

Numerous reports claimed United would have cashed in on Garnacho in the winter window if £60m were bid. But with bigger deals often saved for the summer window and Garnacho contracted until 2028, United are well-paced to demand an even higher fee.

If United were able to offload all three of Mainoo, Garnacho and Rashford for their target sums, the club would collect a gigantic £190m windfall of ‘pure profit.’

Latest Man Utd news – United’s negotiating masterclass

In other news, Man Utd have successfully inserted a sizeable 30 percent sell-on clause in Tyrell Malacia’s loan switch to PSV Eindhoven.

The Eredivisie window closed a day later than the Premier League’s, with Malacia completing his switch on Tuesday night.

The left-back’s six-month loan agreement also contains a €10m option to buy. PSV are understood to be covering Malacia’s full salary during the initial loan.

Why Man Utd SHOULDN’T sell Mainoo

By Nathan Egerton

Since making his full Premier League debut in November 2023, Mainoo has cemented his status as an automatic pick in the heart of the United midfield.

The 19-year-old also became a key player for England, starting all four knockout matches at Euro 2024 as they progressed to a major tournament final on foreign soil for the first time.

His impressive performances didn’t go unnoticed as he finished third in the vote for the 2024 Golden Boy award and was also shortlisted for both the PFA Young Player of the Year and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards.

The midfielder possesses a range of attributes that make him one of the most highly regarded young footballers in the world.

He has remained level-headed throughout his meteoric rise and plays with the sort of composure and maturity that is rare with players of his age.

The United academy graduate is also the most press resistant player in Ruben Amorim’s squad and is able to drop deep and demand the ball from his centre-backs.

United and England have both struggled to produce a midfielder in that mould in recent years, making him a valuable asset for club and country.

“You think of Toni Kroos with Germany, he just makes them play football,” former United midfielder Paul Scholes said. “Rodri with Man City and Spain. I think Kobbie Mainoo has got the ability to do that.”

But his dribbling skills and ability to wriggle out of tight spaces with the ball at his feet are arguably his most eye-catching attributes.

According to FBref, United’s no.37 ranks in the 91st percentile compared to his positional peers in the top-five European leagues for successful take-ons per 90 minutes.

He can also be a threat in the final third and netted six goals in all competitions in 2023/24, including the winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Alongside Scholes, Mainoo is just the second teenage midfielder to score three or more goals for United in a Premier League season.

He is far from the finished article and needs to work on the defensive side of his game in order to become a complete midfielder.

But that is to be expected from a 19-year-old who has just one full season of first-team football under his belt, and he is currently exceeding expectations.

“You see the stuff he is doing, I played in that position, but he’s doing stuff that probably took me 10 years to learn,” former United captain Roy Keane said at Euro 2024.

Mainoo undoubtedly has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in Europe and United need to ensure they don’t let the precocious talent slip through their fingers.

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