Man Utd wanted to make a few sales in the summer window, but they have only secured a decent fee for one departure.
Manchester United were hopeful of raising a decent sum through sales in the summer transfer window.
The potential sales of Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Andre Onana and Manuel Ugarte could have totted up to around £104million, but the window has been open for 42 days, and only Hojlund has been sold, bringing in £38m.
Napoli’s obligation to sign the Dane was triggered when they secured qualification for the Champions League, whereas Barcelona had an option to sign Rashford, which they declined in favour of signing Anthony Gordon.
United wanted Barcelona to sign Rashford for the agreed £26m option fee. The sale would have been pure profit, as Rashford is an academy graduate, and would have removed his £325,000-per-week salary from the wage bill.
The Reds had to sell Andre Onana for around £20m to avoid making a PSR loss. Trabzonspor’s president confirmed his club wanted to sign Onana again after his loan, but they did not have the funds to finance a deal.
The lack of interest in Onana forced United to settle for another loan deal to Trabzonspor, who have paid a small £1.3m loan fee. The Turkish club will also cover his wages for a second season.
There was a chance of selling Ugarte on a permanent transfer as well. It might have been tricky to offload him for £20m, but there was hope that a good showing at the World Cup from the midfielder would attract suitors.
Ugarte’s dream of playing at the World Cup turned into a nightmare when he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher during Uruguay’s clash with Spain. He looked distraught, pulling his shirt over his head as he left the pitch.
United did not confirm whether Ugarte injured his anterior cruciate or medial collateral ligament, but he described his injury as “the most serious injury a footballer can face” on social media, suggesting it was his ACL.
Ugarte underwent surgery earlier this month, meaning he will be out for most of the campaign. He needed a fresh start, a clean slate abroad after a difficult spell in England, but the injury has denied him the chance of a transfer.
There is now a black hole in the accounts, which obviously isn’t good news for further incomings. While United still have a lot of scope to spend in the remainder of the window, sales would have put the club in an even better position.
The Reds may have been willing to overpay for a dream target, like Aurelien Tchouameni, if they’d managed to bank another £66m with those three sales.
Tchouameni could still be a United player by the end of the transfer window, but speaking to a United source across the weekend in Trondheim, they were adamant that a deal for the Frenchman isn’t currently realistic due to the cost involved.
The 26-year-old is a dream signing for United, and they would make an offer if they received the right signals from Real Madrid on price, but how much they would want remains to be seen, as does whether they are willing to sell at all.
United need to improve their selling record to help buy the best players on the market. It’s an area in which the club has struggled over the last 10 years, rarely making a profit on players they sell.
Last summer’s transfers suggested the penny may have finally dropped when it comes to making signings. United conducted smart business, but the next challenge is to improve the club’s selling record.
United’s board has already taken the first steps toward doing so by refusing to be soft touches in the market, and no longer panic-buying. Although it will take time to change the perception of United, the process is under way.
It will take time to see the benefits from the change of tactic. But it’s better late than never.
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