Man Utd legend concerned club are willing to sanction exits that could be worth £137m
Man United need to sell some members of their squad this summer to afford new players
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has expressed his concern that Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo could both be sacrificed by the club this summer in order to help fund Ruben Amorim’s rebuild at the club.
Mainoo was linked with a shock switch to Chelsea in January while United’s Premier League rivals also eyed a move for Garnacho. The forward was also the subject of interest from Napoli but the Italian club were unwilling to meet the Red Devils’ valuation of the player. Recent reports have claimed that the Serie A outfit have presented United with an offer of £67m to sign Garnacho this summer.
A summer departure for Mainoo has not been ruled out by United, but the Red Devils would not be willing to accept any offer below £70m.
Scholes concerned Man United could sell young stars
Red Devils legend Scholes told Premier League Productions, via Manchester Evening News: "It has to be a major concern. Where's the money coming from for new signings? We saw those interviews with Sir Jim and they didn't make good reading.
"It doesn't look like Ruben Amorim will get a war chest to go to war with. It doesn't feel like that. I get the impression, and I could be wrong, but I think they might sell the two young players. I think they might sell Mainoo and Garnacho.
"Maybe they sell them this summer. The Mainoo one would hurt. They both would. Garnacho came later but Mainoo has been at the club since he was a kid.
"He had a brilliant season last year and it makes the academy system look bad if a player like him can't make it and they have to sell him. I hope I'm wrong, I hope they don't do that, but the noises I hear, it is a big concern."
Could United really sell Mainoo and Garnacho?
United do not have a great deal of spending power heading into the summer and are reliant on selling players to help provide Amorim with his desired targets. The likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony are all set to move on permanently once their respective loan deals expire.
Selling academy products - like Mainoo and Garnacho - is more profitable when accounting for profit and sustainability rules. Players from academies count as pure profit once they’re sold, meaning the entire transfer fee will be factored in when club’s submit their PSR compliance to the Premier League. Incoming transfers do not carry the same ruling as transfer fees can be amortised over the length of a player’s contract - to a maximum of five years.
So if United were to sell Mainoo for £70m and Garnacho for £67m, they could bank £137m and then spend that on incomings while providing themselves with plenty of wiggle room to bolster their squad while operating within the confines of the Premier League’s financial rules. For this reason, Scholes’ concerns are valid. Mainoo is currently in talks over a new deal at Old Trafford but the parties have yet to come to an agreement.