Manchester United will have to work with a budget of "only" £100 million this summer, even if they are taken over by billionaire Qatari owners.
The Red Devils are reportedly up for sale right now, with Sheikh Jassim of Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, competing to buy the Old Trafford outfit. Yet, regardless of who comes out on top – or if the Glazer family ends up staying in charge – United will not have lavish sums to splash on new players this summer.
According to the Athletic, Financial Fair Play restrictions mean Manchester United will have to make do with a budget of £100m – a fraction of what some of their rivals will have to spend on new players. Chelsea, for instance, have spent more than £600m on new signings since Todd Boehly's team bought the club last summer.
When quizzed over his knowledge about possible funds, Erik ten Hag was tight lipped. "I don't have influence on that. I don't know," said the Dutchman. "The only thing I know is that Man United is one of the biggest clubs in the world from a fanbase perspective.
"This club has to compete for the highest in the world, so Champions League, Premier League. But in football you need funds to construct squads because in the end of the day the level from your players makes if you are successful or not."
Ten Hag says, "Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad. We see this as a project. In a project also it means that you strengthen your squad and make refreshments, so that you get more balance and you bring young players in.
"But I think we already have shown and proved that we can beat the best teams in the world, so, yeah, I think we can compete in the Champions League."
