
Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd near big-money sale as Rio Ferdinand rages and free-transfer replacement is touted

Rio Ferdinand has questioned Manchester United for the sale of Scott McTominay
Manchester United hope to finalise the big-money sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli in the coming days with Dan Ashworth considering a move to sign a free agent as his replacement – though Rio Ferdinand is far from happy at the exit of the academy product.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has looked to make his mark at Manchester United this summer after taking full sporting control earlier this year and after spending £1.3bn to acquire a 27.7 per cent in the club. And in his pursuit of taking the club back to the summit of the English and European game, he is prepared to do all within his powers to ensure they have more than a fighting chance.
After initially spending the first few months of his reign assembling a crack team of the very best minds in the business behind the scenes, Ratcliffe has now turned his focus towards recruitment and a rebuilding of a squad that could only finish in a disappointing eighth last time around in the Premier League.
So far this summer, United have signed four senior first-team players for an outlay of just shy of £140m, with Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazrouai all signing on the dotted line.
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Yet after a sobering 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday marking their first loss of the season already, United are far from finished adjusting to their squad with just days remaining in the window.
Indeed, with a deal for Manuel Ugarte soon expected to be finalised, United plan to make space in their squad for potentially another arrival too by agreeing to the sale of McTominay to Napoli.
Rio Ferdinand unhappy at Scott McTominay sale
The 2023 Serie A champions have struck a €30m (£25.4m) deal with United to sign the midfielder, who has just a year left on his contract, though United do hold another year’s option on that deal which has given them more leverage when negotiating his sale.
And while McTominay has yet to agree personal terms with Antonio Conte’s side, talks between the club and his representatives are due to take place over the next 24 hours.
And if McTominay can reach an agreement with the Serie A outfit over a move, he will travel to Naples to undergo a medical with a view to tying up the transfer before Friday’s transfer deadline.
However, not everyone is totally convinced by the sale of the 52-times capped Scotland star with Ferdinand questioning the wisdom of selling a player who ‘understands the DNA of United’.
“I look at Scott McTominay and not every player can be a star, a standout player,” Ferdinand told his YouTube channel.
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“But to win the league you need the likes of John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher… you need a Julian Alvarez at Man City.
“They might not start every game but they were huge, you need those players and most of them know the DNA of the club, especially ones who have come through the academy, there’s a lot to be said for that.
“It really doesn’t sit well with me. To replace him you’re going to have to spend £30m or £40m and give him £150,000 a week probably.
“It’s not going to be cheap and it’s a gamble, you don’t know what you’re going to get, whereas with McTominay you know what you’re getting.
“He might not always be a 9/10 but invariably he’s a solid 7/10 and sometimes he will be an 8/10 and get you a goal.”
United look to free agent replacement
The likely arrival of Ugarte will give Ten Hag another option in the middle of the park, though with McTominay potentially joining Sofyan Amrabat in departing, the United boss does have less options to call upon in the engine room.
As a result, there is a strong belief that United could yet look to add another name to the mix and speculation over a possible move for Adrien Rabiot has refused to disappear.
The experienced France midfielder remains without a club after departing Juventus at the end of last season.
And while his mother and agent, Veronique, has spoken to a number of interested parties, Rabiot is yet to sign on the dotted line and remains one of the game’s biggest free agents around.
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The likes of Newcastle and Manchester United have both been touted with a move in recent days and, with TEAMtalk understanding that the player is in favour of a move to the Premier League, it is a move that would certainly tick a lot of boxes.
If a move to United is to come off, Rabiot will likely need to reign in his wage demands, which has so far not tempted any side to bring the player in.
The 29-year-old is understood to be seeking a package worth around €10m a year (around £162,000 a week), which might not be quite to the liking of the money-savvy Ratcliffe.
But if a compromise could be agreed, it would not come as a surprise if United sporting director Ashworth looked to add Rabiot with just days left in the summer window.