Manchester United face tough summer transfer window due to limited funds

Manchester United face another difficult transfer window in the summer due to limited finances, with the ability to considerably strengthen Ruben Amorim’s squad dependent on accruing a profit from player sales.

United could afford only the £25.1m outlay to buy Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal for a fee in the region of £1.5m during the most recent transfer window. After loaning Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa and Antony to Real Betis, there were no funds to replace the forwards in Amorim’s squad. This was despite a minimum 75% of Rashford’s £365,000-a-week wage being paid by Villa, and Betis sourcing 84% of Antony’s £150,000 a-week salary.

The constricted budget meant no move was made to sign cover for Lisandro Martínez after the defender suffered a suspected season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.

The number of players whose sale would draw a sizeable profit for the summer window is also limited. Rashford’s loan terms with Villa are thought to include a buy-option for £40m. As a homegrown player, his fee would count as 100% profit under profit and sustainability rules (PSR), and funds would be saved due to his lucrative contract being taken off the books three years before it ends in 2028.

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Alejandro Garnacho, valued at around £70m by United, and Kobbie Mainoo at £80m-plus, are two other homegrown players who were for sale in the winter market and will be again in the summer. But selling one or both would mean having to find a replacement.

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