Manchester United bold transfer stance could complicate Benjamin Sesko deal
Man Utd know they must prioritise player sales in the final month of the summer transfer window.
Manchester United made a bold decision at the start of the summer transfer window with regards to player sales.
Just days before the first-team squad was due to return for pre-season training, United sources confirmed a handful of individuals had been granted an extended summer break to facilitate summer exits. Almost a month on from that date, only one of them has actually left the club.
In an ideal world, United would have sold Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony by now and used that money to invest in their squad. Instead, Rashford has left on a season-long loan deal, and the remaining quartet are still contracted to the club but deemed surplus to requirements. It is far from an ideal situation.
United stand to save £12 million in wages from Rashford's loan move to Barcelona, but even then, that is a projected saving and does not mean they have that amount of money to invest into the squad now. It is also important to note that the option to make his move permanent for roughly £26m next summer is not mandatory either, and there is no penalty if they opt against it.
That is very concerning. Even if Rashford is a reasonable success during his year in Catalonia, it would take some effort for him to be deemed worthy of that transfer fee next summer. The World Cup will be on the horizon, and there might be many other breakout stars Barcelona would rather spend their money on than a player who will have turned 28 already.
It could be a similar scenario with the other unwanted players if United are unable to find buyers for them before deadline day and instead have to sanction additional loan exits. Ruben Amorim has already admitted that those wantaway players could be reintegrated into the first team if they don't manage to find new clubs, which would create a far from ideal situation.
The problem United have created is that because they so quickly deemed certain players surplus to requirements, they immediately relinquished any power in negotiations. With it so abundantly clear United would like to sell the quartet, potential suitors have little reason to meet their transfer demands and have instead opted to wait until the final month of the window when the club could be forced to lower their asking price.
It means we could still see those four players leave United in the coming weeks, though the terms might be far off what the club envisaged, with lower initial fees and the bulk of the valuation made up through performance-related add-ons and sell-on clauses.
While it might not be the end of the world to get rid of those four players for lower transfer fees, it could severely impact their own transfer business, given that further additions will need to be funded through these exits. With no immediate need to meet their valuations, buying clubs could wait until the final days of the window to make serious approaches, which will leave United with a reduced market and further resistance when it comes to getting their deals over the line.
They have a month to avoid the embarrassment.
PLAYER RATINGS: 'Excellent' 9/10 like a new signing in 4-1 Bournemouth win