Manchester United are determined to remain "financially disciplined and compliant with FFP rules" after football director John Murtough again said January would be a quiet transfer window.
Speaking to a fans' forum last month, Murtough gave an update on transfer plans but raised the spectre of Financial Fair Play as one reason why United were looking at a loan signing for a striker this month.
The club went over their initial transfer budget in the summer when they spent £225million on new players, including a £70m deal for Casemiro and an £85.5m move for Antony in the final couple of weeks of the window.
READ MORE: United target Wout Weghorst as striker signing
Since then sources at Old Trafford have urged caution around forthcoming windows, insisting that level of spend won't be repeated and a quiet January was expected until the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
United saved £16m in wages with the departure of the 37-year-old and Erik ten Hag is pressing for a striker to be signed this month. A deal is being explored for Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst, who is currently on loan at Besiktas from Burnley.
But speaking to supporters, Murtough insisted signings wouldn't be made "for the sake" of it and raised the issue of FFP after the summer transfer window.
"As always, the main focus remains on the summer window, and we’re already well underway with our planning for next summer," said Murtough.
"January is a difficult time to find players that teams are willing to let go. It’s no secret that we’re looking for a new centre-forward.
"We’ll see what’s possible in January but, as Erik told the media in Spain last week [on the mid-season tour], we only want to bring in players who are good enough, and who will make the squad stronger. We’re not going to sign players for the sake of making signings.
"You also need to remember that we invested over £200m in the squad last summer and, as a club, we need to remain financially disciplined and compliant with FFP rules. So, while we will be exploring options, I don’t expect it to be a busy January window on the men’s side."
At the fans' forum a question was asked about Financial Fair Play rules and accusations that Manchester City had artificially raised sponsorship values to increase their own commercial revenue.
"Without commenting on the validity of the allegations made in the question, nor on any particular club, Manchester United is firmly in favour of robust rules governing financial fair play and transparency in football. It is crucial that these rules are fully enforced by governing bodies in order to preserve the credibility, fairness and sustainability of football at both domestic and European levels, and we will continue to advocate for this approach."
READ NEXT:
