Man Utd transfer news as '£100m fire sale' planned with four 'leaving'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to raise around £100million through the summer sales of four Manchester United academy graduates, according to reports.

United are set for a summer of major change with Ratcliffe looking to put his stamp on the club, once his 25 per cent stake is fully ratified by the Premier League. The INEOS chief will overhaul every aspect of footballing operations but will be judged by on-pitch recruitment.

Erik ten Hag is thought to have already eyed several key areas for improvement, including upfront and central defence. But reinforcements will come at a cost and despite the new investment, funds are not endless at United.

Ratcliffe will hope to follow the example of other top Premier League clubs in generating profit on academy talents, and The i reports that the process will start with Mason Greenwood. The forward is currently on loan at Getafe after club and player decided it would be best to continue his career elsewhere, following charges of attempted rape, controlling behaviour and assault which were eventually dropped.

The 22-year-old has impressed during his spell in Spain and attracted the interest of other La Liga clubs. Barcelona have been recently linked but the report also names Atletico Madrid and Valencia as interested parties.

Scott McTominay is also said to remain up for sale, as he was throughout the summer transfer window. The midfielder is United's top-scorer in the Premier League and has been a rare shining light during an otherwise dismal campaign, but he is thought to remain available due to being able to bring in a healthy fee.

United will also hope that permanent options are activated on January loan exits Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez, who joined Sevilla and Benfica respectively. Hannibal's move to Spain could be made permanent for around £17.5m in the summer, while Benfica can keep Fernandez for an initial £5m plus £2.6m add-ons - that is believed to become an obligation once a certain number of appearances are made by the full-back.

All in all, Ratcliffe hopes to raise around £100m, most of which will be classed as profit when it comes to profit and sustainability rules due to the low cost of bringing them in - Greenwood, McTominay and Fernandez cost nothing while United paid around £4m to Monaco for Hannibal in 2019.

More senior options will also likely be sold in the summer, with the futures of Casemiro and Aaron Wan-Bissaka uncertain. Meanwhile, Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial look set to leave as free agents, with their high wages also coming off the books.