How Man Utd could make £140m from selling transfer listed stars in January
Stefan Bienkowski
- 20 Sept 2021 11:12 BST
- 12 min read
Manchester United broke new ground in their summer acquisitions after the club spent no less than £126 million on new signings.
Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo all arrived on big fees, as the Old Trafford club made it clear that they meant business this season in the Premier League and Champions League.
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However, with new recruits comes the inevitable discussion over players that may be forced to move on as stars take their place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
According to a new report in the Sun, Man Utd may look to cut loose a number of squad players that are no longer needed by the club with as many as seven already being earmarked for departures from the club.
So how much money could Man Utd raise from simply selling players that Solskjaer no longer has any need for?
Which players will Man Utd look to sell?
One of the most obvious candidates for a January sale is none other than Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek.
Although Van de Beek only made the move to Man Utd last summer, he’s completely failed in his attempts to nail down a starting role at the club and is no longer a serious contender for a first team spot.
Fortunately for Man Utd, much of Europe will still rate the Netherlands international and at only 23 years of age he’s still got plenty of potential to retain much of his value. Currently valued at €40.5 million, Man Utd could probably expect to make back much of the money they spent on him in 2020.
Another player that looks certain to leave the club sooner rather than later is forward Jesse Lingard.
Despite being retained by the club during the summer window, Man Utd’s failure to sign him up to a new extension could mean the club cut their losses with the England international before he leaves for free in the summer.
Although Lingard has less than a year left on his current deal, he’s still a proven Premier League star and could still fetch a price of around €13.7m in January if a club were eager to sign him six months in advance.
Phil Jones
Another forgotten star that may make an exit in January is Phil Jones. Once considered a regular starter in defence, Jones was sidelined by a horrible knee injury last season and is still getting back to full fitness this season with games in the reserve league.
However, with extensive Premier League experience and at only 29 years of age, the former England international would still be an enticing signing for a number of clubs and would likely leave Man Utd for around €6.7m.
Eric Bailly
In a similar vein to Jones, Eric Bailly has also seen his game time at the club shrink up following the arrival of Raphael Varane.
Despite signing a new contract extension last season, the Ivorian talent will surely be looking for other options in January if he can’t fight his way back into the club’s starting XI.
Once again, Man Utd could expect a decent price for Bailly due to his extensive experience in the Premier League and European competition. He’s currently valued at €14.3m.
One high-profile star that could end up leaving the club in a few months time is none other than Anthony Martial.
Like Lingard, the French forward has found himself stuck on the bench following the arrival of Sancho and Ronaldo and hasn’t looked his best for at least 18 months now.
With his promise as a player beginning to fade, Martial would be wise to engineer an exit from Man Utd while he still has time on his side and his value is still as high as it currently is, with the player currently worth around €57.4m.
Diogo Dalot
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka firmly established as Man Utd’s first-choice right back, Diogo Dalot has really struggled for game time and could be one of the players sold on in January.
The Portugal international’s current deal is set to expire in 2023, which will likely limit how much Man Utd can get for him in January, but he’s still valued at a decent €8.6m at this moment in time.
Alex Telles
Despite joining the club just one year ago, Alex Telles has struggled for game time at Old Trafford and with interest from big clubs around Europe it would make perfect sense for the club to cash in on a defender that is still worth a notable value of €21.4m
