Sir Jim Ratcliffe can instigate a Manchester United squad reshuffle if his 25 per cent buy-in goes through before the January transfer window. Part of the effort to support manager Erik ten Hag will involve offloading those deemed surplus to requirements, and the Dutchman has four players on his books who could be used to raise a fair chunk of cash.
The clearest item on Sir Jim’s transfer to-do list is to find a new home for Jadon Sancho. The winger has been banished from Ten Hag’s first team due to a public spat, and having refused to apologise, their relationship appears to be beyond repair.
United splashed an eye-watering £73million to lure Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. But two-and-a-half lacklustre seasons at Old Trafford have taken a sledgehammer to his market value, which currently stands at a lowly £28m according to Transfermarkt, and the Red Devils would surely have to take a painful loss if they moved him on.
Shifting his mammoth salary from the wage bill would at least give Ten Hag more freedom, but interested parties are widely deemed more likely to try and negotiate a loan rather than a permanent deal.
Raphael Varane is also on the chopping block, with the World Cup-winning defender rumoured to be looking for a way out after slipping down Ten Hag’s pecking order. Bayern Munich and Chelsea have been linked with his signature.
Although he’s on the wrong side of his 30th birthday, Varane could still fetch United a healthy £30m, freeing up space for Sir Jim and Ten Hag to make January squad additions where necessary.
Anthony Martial has been similarly ineffective at the business end of the pitch, with the Frenchman’s eight-year spell with the Red Devils in danger of coming to an end.
Premier League goals have been hard to come by for United on the whole this term, with no team in the top 12 managing fewer. And Martial, valued at a meagre £13m, has not managed a single one to ease the pressure on his manager.
