Manchester United ‘face selling £50m Paul Pogba OR £30m Jesse Lingard with the club plotting a net spend of £75m-100m’ this summer… and exits are needed to bring in a midfielder and target Kieran Trippier
- Manchester United look set to have to sell stars to keep spending this summer
- Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard are two of the players that could leave the club
- United are reportedly looking for a net spend of between £75million to £100m
- Exits would allow them to pursue a new midfielder and Atletico’s Kieran Trippier
Manchester United are set to have to offload players in order to continue their superb summer with the club eyeing up a net spend of between £75million to £100m, according to reports.
Jadon Sancho’s £73m move from Borussia Dortmund was officially confirmed last week and United are imminently set to unveil Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane as their latest big-name arrival for £42m.
But once Varane joins the club, United may then have to focus on selling the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in order to pursue their other targets, as claimed by the Telegraph.
Manchester United face selling Paul Pogba (centre) or Jesse Lingard (left) to keep spending
Pogba is a target for PSG and has shown no indications of wanting to sign a new deal at United
It is believed that centre back Varane will cost United around £42m in total, including £8m in add-ons, meaning they have splashed out around £115m already – and this will likely see them look to broker at least one ‘significant’ sale.
A new midfielder and Atletico Madrid right back Kieran Trippier are on the club’s wishlist over the next few weeks, but these chases appear to heavily rely on whether Pogba and Lingard are allowed to leave.
United are under pressure to sell Pogba with Paris Saint-Germain holding strong interest in their superstar midfielder. Sportsmail has recently reported that Mino Raiola is discussing personal terms with the club.
Jadon Sancho joined for £73million from Borussia Dortmund in United’s first big-name signing
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane looks set to follow with United edging closer to the deal
Although Pogba would still command a hefty price tag, it is understood that PSG believe they can sign the former Juventus man for around £43m, less than half the £89m figure United paid back in 2016.
Despite having just one year left on his £290,000-a-week contract, Pogba has given United no indications that he is interested in committing his future at Old Trafford. This could see the club cut their losses.
Lingard, meanwhile, also faces an uncertain future. He spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham and impressed, having scored nine goals in 16 appearances, and looks to be in United’s short-term plans.
The playmaker is another that would command a reasonable sum, so allowing United to try and land more signings. Lingard is also in the final year of his deal, and is valued at around £30m with multiple clubs keen to swoop.
Atletico Madrid right back Kieran Trippier is a target for United, but the club must sell to buy
Saul Niguez, also of Atletico, has been identified as a potential replacement for Pogba
Sportsmail revealed that Saul Niguez, a team-mate of Trippier’s at Atletico, is a potential replacement for Pogba. Atletico are keen to axe him from their wage bill, and may accept an offer of just £45m.
Currently, Trippier wants a return to the Premier League, but a move to United may be scuppered by Atletico’s asking price. Their demand for £43m would certainly stretch United’s transfer budget to the limit.
But for now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s two primary targets in Sancho and Varane have been secured, and this comes in the wake of the effect the pandemic has taken on United’s coffers. That is believed to have cost them more than £150m.
The Telegraph have also highlighted the situation with United’s wage to turnover ratio. That number stood at 56 per cent for the 2019-20 season, and may even go beyond the 60 per cent mark for last season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United have laid down a statement of intent for the new campaign
It is said that United are unlikely to be comfortable with this, and their aim will be to balance their costs to ensure a healthy financial outlook. The departures of several first-team players would go towards aiding this.
The club have laid down a statement of intent for the new campaign as they look to bridge the gap between them and Manchester City, who had won the Premier League by 12 points at a canter last term.
United finished in second spot behind them and also ended the season on a disappointing note, having lost the Europa League final against Villarreal after a nail-biting penalty shootout in Gdansk.
