New Man United boss could be handed £100m gift with eight transfers in pipeline


Manchester United are set for a summer of change with eight first-team players potentially leaving Old Trafford

Manchester United are bracing themselves for another transformational transfer window following their recent progress. A raft of senior exits are anticipated that could generate upwards of £100million, available for reinvestment.

Last summer’s substantial outlay of a little more than £200m may have stretched the club’s finances somewhat. Nevertheless, United could secure their most considerable income from player sales in a number of years, with eight or more first-team players potentially departing.

Among those, the moves appearing most certain at this stage are the free exits of Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has also already confirmed his departure despite remaining a valued starter.

Sancho is extremely unlikely to secure a new contract after his loan spell at Aston Villa concludes, while left-back Malacia has similarly failed to progress after spending the latter half of last season on loan at PSV. Consequently, his four-year stint looks set to end having made merely 10 senior appearances for United over the past three campaigns.

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While Michael Carrick, or whoever secures the permanent managerial position, may regret seeing Casemiro leave, his departure in particular does bring some tangible benefits. Notably, his £350,000-a-week salary will liberate substantial room on the wage bill and permit another marquee signing to arrive.

The same applies to Sancho, who still has 20 per cent of his almost £250,000-a-week wages covered by United during his stint at Villa Park. A comparable arrangement exists for £300,000-a-week earner Marcus Rashford, though United are anticipating a considerably greater financial return once his loan spell at Barcelona concludes in June.

Barca must now negotiate a price for Rasfhford after the £26m purchase clause in his contract recently expired. Interestingly, this could work in United’s favour, as another interested party may be prepared to exceed the stipulated fee should he move on elsewhere.

The other loan United are hopeful will generate significant funds involves Rasmus Hojlund. Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna described the £38m deal as “a formality” back in December, with the Italians likely to fulfil one condition of the arrangement by securing qualification for next season’s Champions League.

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The Red Devils may need to work considerably harder to find takers for the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana. Ugarte, 24, has struggled to justify his £50m valuation since arriving at United from PSG in 2024, though his age and profile ensure he will attract interest.

Likewise, Zirkzee attracted considerable attention from Serie A clubs during the January transfer window. United opted to rebuff those advances while Carrick settled into his role as interim manager, but the Dutchman’s prospects at Old Trafford show little sign of improving.

Finally, Onana’s time in Manchester looks to be drawing to a close following Senne Lammens’ emergence as United’s first-choice keeper. And despite impressing during his loan spell at Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, all indications point towards United seeking to offload the Cameroonian and draw a line under his stint at the club for good.

On a more positive note, a promising period in the Super Lig may help to reignite outside interest in Onana. However, United will likely have to accept selling the goalkeeper for considerably less than his £44m fee.


Joshua Zirkzee’s camp ‘not convinced’ Man Utd will move for two linked players


Joshua Zirkzee’s future at Manchester United has been the subject of speculation since the January transfer window

Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly determined to remain at Manchester United despite persistent rumours linking him with a move away from Old Trafford. Zirkzee has found game time at United difficult to come by this season and, as a result, has seen his future become the subject of speculation.

United signed Zirkzee from Bologna in the summer of 2024 when Erik ten Hag was the club’s manager, and the striker has featured just 20 times this season across all competitions and has scored two goals.

Various reports have claimed that United are expected to go into the market for further reinforcements this summer, and there are suggestions that the Reds may look to strengthen their forward line once again.

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This is despite United using three of their four signings last summer to strengthen the forward department, with Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha all moving to Old Trafford.

Reports have also claimed that Zirkzee could leave United this summer as part of another rebuild, and now a fresh update has emerged about the striker’s future.

The Daily Mail have claimed that Zirkzee has a desire to remain at United beyond this summer despite a lack of regular minutes and frequent rumours about a possible departure.

The report also claims that those within Zirkzee’s camp are “not convinced” that United will sign more forward players this summer, despite other rumours suggesting otherwise.

Zirkzee is reported to not be seeking a move away from United, despite speculation that a departure could be on the cards, and believes he will have more opportunities to get minutes next season if the club are back competing in Europe.

The January transfer window saw clubs in Serie A linked with a move for Zirkzee, but no move materialised with the striker remaining at Old Trafford.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and Palmeiras star Vitor Roque have both been linked with moves to United in recent months, but it seems that Zirkzee’s camp does not believe that signing a new forward is on the agenda for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

A separate report from Sky Sports earlier this week claimed that Zirkzee was one of five players United are looking to sell this summer as they look to raise more than £100million in player sales.

Zirkzee is joined by Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund, Manuel Ugarte and Andre Onana, who are all mentioned as potentially leaving United on a permanent basis this summer.


United face £51.9m transfer conundrum with unwanted pair


Man Utd signed Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee in the summer of 2024 on long-term contracts but neither looks like making the grade at Old Trafford.

Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee could both leave Manchester United this summer, just two years into the five-year contracts they signed in 2024.

The Uruguayan defensive midfielder and Dutch forward have struggled for game time at Old Trafford and have slipped further down the pecking order since the arrival of Michael Carrick as head coach.

Ugarte and Zirkzee have both come off the bench for Carrick, but neither looks close to starting, and there was loan interest in January in the pair, with Ajax keen on Ugarte and Roma wanting to take Zirkzee back to Serie A.

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United held on to both players as they push for a return to the Champions League, but it’s expected they will both be keen to look for first-team opportunities elsewhere during the summer.

Ugarte’s future is somewhat complicated by Casemiro’s departure, with the 34-year-old Brazilian leaving when his contract expires at the end of June. United are eyeing a replacement as part of a midfield overhaul that will see at least two new signings arrive.

They might want those players through the door before sanctioning any move for the 24-year-old, with reports in Italy suggesting Juventus are running the rule over him.

Zirkzee has struggled for game time in United’s flexible attack. Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha can all play as the No. 9, while the shift in formation and decision to restore Bruno Fernandes as an attacking midfielder and play just one No. 10 has reduced Zirkzee’s chances there.

The 24-year-old did feature as one of the two No. 10s in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system before the Portuguese head coach was dismissed in January.

Zirkzee has started just four Premier League games for United this season and none since lasting just 45 minutes against Wolves on December 30. He has played just 28 minutes in four substitute appearances for Carrick.

It is a similar picture for Ugarte, who has started seven Premier League games this season but has played just 65 minutes in six substitute appearances since the appointment of Carrick in January.

One potential issue for United in finding suitors for the two players in the summer is that they are less than halfway through the contracts they signed in 2024.

Ugarte cost £50.5million when joining from Paris St-Germain, meaning his book value remains around £30million. Zirkzee was a £36.5million signing from Bologna and will have a remaining book value this summer of around £21.9million.

Any sale below those fees will be recorded as an accounting loss for the year for United, although some of that will be offset by potential wage savings and could be balanced out by profits elsewhere.


Ten Hag signing told to quit United after instant reaction showed true colours


One Manchester United player has been told why his move to Old Trafford was a ‘mistake’, as transfer speculation continues to surround him even after the January transfer window shut

Joshua Zirkzee has been told why leaving Manchester United may be the best move for his career.

Zirkzee’s future has been the subject of intense speculation since the start of the season, but the striker has remained at Old Trafford despite two transfer windows passing by.

United signed Zirkzee from Bologna in the summer of 2024 and was one of the final signings of Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford.

The Netherlands international has scored two goals across 16 appearances across all competitions for United this season, and has just nine goals to his name since moving to Manchester 18 months ago.

Zirkzee found regular appearances difficult to come by during Ruben Amorim’s tenure as United head coach, and has yet to feature in any of the three matches since Michael Carrick was appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season.

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United were without Zirkzee due to injury for the wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, but the striker did make a return for the victory over Fulham, where he was an unused substitute.

Even though Zirkzee did not feature in United’s dramatic 3-2 win over Fulham last weekend, the striker was the first player to congratulate winning goalscorer Benjamin Sesko after the final whistle, as his instant reaction showed his true character in how he was delighted for his team-mate.

Zirkzee’s last goal for United came in a draw over Wolves at the end of December, and the last few months have seen persistent links claiming that the 24-year-old could be heading for the exit door in the near future.

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Amid the speculation, former Chelsea and AC Milan star Ruud Gullit has urged Zirkzee to consider a United exit and return to Italy.

“Joshua Zirkzee made a mistake moving to Manchester United – he should have stayed in Italy,” Gullit told Gambling Insider.

“When he left Bologna, he should have gone to Juventus or AC Milan and stayed in Serie A. He arrived at United when there was a lot of bad energy around the club. It was the wrong time for him.

“There have been rumours that he could now leave United and go to Roma in the summer. I hope he makes that move, or at least join another club in Italy, because it is a much more suitable league for him.”

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