Man Utd seek Saudi solution for €256m quartet

Tom Weber

• Updated: 18 Dec 2023 18:42 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United recruitment chief John Murtough travelled to Saudi Arabia earlier this month for transfer talks, according to a report.

The Red Devils are trying to raise funds for 2024 that will allow them to sign more players suited to Erik ten Hag's style. Despite spending lavishly in the summer, Man Utd have endured a dire campaign and several of Ten Hag's signings are being questioned. The solution? Signing more players, of course.

The likes of Antonio Silva, Serhou Guirassy, Joao Neves and Jean-Clair Todibo have been heavily linked with the Red Devils in recent times, but all of them except €17.5 million Guirassy will command hefty transfer fees. With uncertainty still looming over when exactly Sir Jim Ratcliffe's impending investment will hit the club's bank account, United will need to sell to buy in January.

This is precisely the reason why Man Utd sporting director John Murtough was in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, according to the Daily Mail. The recruitment chief travelled to Riyadh for transfer talks, officially offering four unwanted players to Saudi Pro League bosses.

Quartet to be offloaded

The report claims that the players in question are Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, who cost the Red Devils a combined €256m. Varane, Casemiro and Sancho have previously been linked with a Saudi switch.

Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo recently said of the Sancho rumours: "We can't discuss specific targets with respect to the parent clubs and also for the player himself. We also don't want to be regarded as a dumping ground for players that didn't work [out] in other clubs."

While Murtough's travels did not yield any concrete transfer agreement, he did forge new connections that Man Utd will look to use to their advantage in the future, though it is unclear how much longer Murtough will be at the club as he is reportedly one of the senior figures earmarked to be moved on once Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially comes on board.

Sancho and Martial are expected to depart Man Utd in 2024, with the latter's one-year contract extension not being triggered by United; by already offloading him in January, the Red Devils are hoping to at least rake in a small transfer fee. As for Varane and Casemiro, their futures are much more uncertain, though they too have been repeatedly tipped to leave.