Manchester United should be set for a transfer windfall as they seek to sell squad players, but the only thing they've been able to cash in so far has been a reality cheque.
For all the scrutiny their recent record of signing players merits, the sales column makes for pretty grim reading too.
United need to offload squad players this month with no Old Trafford future to raise crucial funds for new arrivals. The likes of Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, Fred, Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial are all sellable assets.
Some might prefer to run contracts down but there will be willing bidders at home and abroad for the majority. Only it would require United to do something they've done precious little of in the past few years - sell well.
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Chelsea, for all their spurious spending, at least manage to bring the cash in. This summer alone they have raised £138million from offloading five players. Eking out £65m for Kai Havertz - admittedly a good player but with an inferior Premier League goal ratio to Martial looks good business. They've raised £15m plus for each of Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Christian Pulisic could be next to depart with Lyon strongly linked with a £25m move.
Yet United, over the past four years, have received only significant sums for Dan James (£25m) and Chris Smalling (£12m). The likes of Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matić and Ander Herrera have left on free transfers. Now the quartet are perhaps not world beaters but they are worth more than a combined diddly squat.
United run the risk of repeating those transfer mistakes with their current crop of castaways. Even the academy graduates are leaving on the cheap. Zidane Iqbal might not make the grade at the elite level but a little over £1million seems a steal considering comparative players at Manchester City are moving for massive money. The latest being James Trafford - who hasn't played club football above League One - yet is set to join Burnley for a minimum of £15million.
Of course, selling players is not a straightforward task. The price is dictated by buying clubs' variables - the interest, the wages, the desperation. But in a market where top six rivals are milking their squads for millions, United seem to struggle to raise revenue.
At one time, a young player developed at Old Trafford would be expensively sought after. The Reds were getting around £8million for the likes of Kieran Richardson, Sam Johnstone and Adnan Januzaj years ago while under Sir Alex Ferguson they developed a knack for selling senior players at the right time.
Now the sales strategy is muddled, United's departure lounge is full but the list of destinations is slim.
