Manchester United have worked on finding moves for five players who wanted out of Old Trafford, but it’s set to result in hefty losses in the transfer market
Manchester United face a harsh reality as the club work on shipping out the players who wish to leave the club this summer. Manager Ruben Amorim left five first-team stars out of his pre-season plans ahead of Marcus Rashford’s loan move to Barcelona, having been informed that Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia also wanted to exit.
Recouping money from the so-called ‘bomb squad’ could bolster United’s transfer plans. Yet, the Red Devils have reportedly lowered several of their valuations since the transfer window first opened, which will not be welcome news to United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Rashford has sealed his season-long loan move to Barcelona, who have a £26million option to make his stay at the Camp Nou permanent. That is a significant drop from United’s reported £100m valuation last April and is even less than the £40m price given to Aston Villa. However, United slashing Rashford’s past valuation by £74m is only a fraction of the total £213m United could lose as the club attempt to part with their wantaway players.
Garnacho is another player whose price has dropped significantly since the start of the summer. The Argentine winger, who was linked with Chelsea and Napoli, was initially said to be worth £70m.
However, United have since almost halved their asking price to £40m. This would represent a £30m difference in what United were expecting to receive from selling the talented 21-year-old, who scored 11 goals across all competitions.
The writing appeared to be on the wall following Garnacho’s reaction to being named on the bench for the Europa League final last season. In the aftermath, Garnacho said: “Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know. The final will influence [my decision] but the whole season, the situation of the club. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards.”
Antony’s productive loan spell at Real Betis last term would have boosted United’s hopes of recouping a significant portion of the £82m that they paid Ajax three years ago. The Red Devils quoted around £40m for Betis to sign the winger permanently, having scored nine goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances for the club.
The price was deemed too high for Betis, though Antony’s valuation has remained around that mark. That would see United take a huge £42m hit on the Brazil international.
Sancho is another high-profile signing who has never lived up to expectations at Old Trafford. There was plenty of fanfare when the England winger arrived for £73m in 2021 on the back of his sensational spell at Borussia Dortmund.
However, Sancho failed to replicate that form for United before a fallout with ex-manager Erik ten Hag led to him being exiled from the squad in 2023. A brief return to Dortmund and a subsequent loan spell at Chelsea failed to prompt a permanent move.
Football Italia has since reported that Juventus have made a £15m offer for Sancho, who is in the final year of his contract. This would be £58m less than his original transfer fee.
Meanwhile, full-back Malacia has endured a torrid time with injuries since arriving at United as a £13m signing from Feyenoord in 2022. He spent time on loan at PSV Eindhoven last season, who decided against a permanent deal, and Manchester Evening News has reported that the club need to bank £3.22m to avoid suffering a loss under PSR rules. However, it would be over £9m less than his initial price.
Despite the financial hits that the club could take in the transfer market, United boss Amorim has insisted that he would welcome the players back into the fold if no deal can be finalised. “There are different reasons for the players [left behind],” he said.
“Some players have to find a new place to have more space in the team and other players clearly show they want a new challenge and want new teams. We are just allowing these players to have time to think and to decide. If we reach a point where they have to join the team, they will join the team because they are our players.
“I know for a fact, these people, Jason [Wilcox, technical director], Omar [Berrada, chief executive] and the club have a number for these players. If they don’t reach that, they will be Manchester United players, no doubt about that.
“I understand the clubs are waiting for the last minute but they can have a surprise. I’m ready to receive the players, they have more competition, more competition if you want to play in the World Cup next year, so you need to play. I’m really happy with that because I have more options. If they have to fight each other to play one game a week, for me it’s perfect.”
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