Manchester United are expected to facilitate more outgoings than arrivals this summer and after the loss to Sevilla, you would be hard-pressed to find any fan who would be disgruntled about that.
The Manchester Evening News understands that a plethora of players could face the axe this summer as the club tries to stay within Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules following last year’s £225m spend.
Harry Maguire is one set for the for-sale list. The defender recorded an unfortunate own goal in the first leg against Sevilla before being jointly responsible for the Spaniards’ opener in Thursday’s 3-0 loss.
READ MORE: Sevilla defeat shows Erik ten Hag has to get ruthless
The club captain has made just 15 starts this season after being relegated from Erik ten Hag’s first-choice centre-half pairing. His two most recent outings have done little to convince his boss to rethink his preference.
Maguire cost a seismic £80m in 2019 but three years later his value has drastically diminished and age shouldn’t be blamed - 30 is not old in the modern era. Transfermarkt rates his value at £22m, a 72 per cent deficit on his original price.
It’s certain United will take a loss on their skipper but they would rather offload him permanently than delay his exit with a loan switch. MEN Sport also understands United are open to axing Anthony Martial too.
The striker has missed more than 30 games through injury this campaign and came off with an apparent knock in Seville this week. Although no fault of his own, the forward’s constant setbacks are becoming a hindrance and fans are understandably becoming tired of his unreliability.
Martial is priced at around £13.2m, a figure which, admittedly, would cause Ten Hag to question whether it would be worth allowing him to leave. Wage considerations may be a factor in light of FFP, though, and retaining him means trying to keep another squad member happy.
Either Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Diogo Dalot may be shown the door if Jeremie Frimpong joins the club. The former is priced at £19.4m - a big decrease on his £50m price in 2019.
However, despite his new year comeback, it would be he who is more likely to exit than £31m-rated Dalot, given the Englishman was offered to clubs without success last summer.
Meanwhile, Brandon Williams will likely be let go having played just five minutes under Erik ten Hag. The 22-year-old is given a £8.8m price tag in light of his age and previous first-team experience.
Outcasts Eric Bailly and Alex Telles would fetch around £17.5m with both Marseille and Sevilla thought not keen on keeping either respective player beyond their current loan spell. The departures of Maguire, Martial, Wan-Bissaka, Williams, Bailly and Telles would drum up a total of £81m to be injected into new arrivals - and potentially as much as £92.5m should Dalot depart instead of Wan-Bissaka.
The sum would account for a large proportion of a potential fee for top target Harry Kane. The 29-year-old could cost nine figures and United would likely oblige given their desperation for a centre-forward this summer.
Ten Hag can use the money already allocated for the summer towards a young midfielder and other areas of the squad that need bolstering in light of the exits, particularly back-up at centre-half - something that became very apparent against Sevilla.
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