Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd to sell £153m trio as Ten Hag clears deck for lethal striker who’ll top Enzo Fernandez fee

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag

Man Utd have put a trio who cost a combined £153m up for sale and Erik ten Hag aims to reinvest the profits in a £107m move for a striker who’s been near-unplayable this season, per reports.

The Red Devils kept their powder relatively dry in the winter window. Manchester United were content to sanction just three loan arrivals in the form of Jack Butland, Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer. The latter’s move only occurred due to Christian Eriksen picking up an ankle injury that’ll sideline him for around three months.

Weghorst has filled the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo and thus far, has been Ten Hag’s preferred option to lead the line.

The Dutch veteran fancies his chances of securing a permanent move. However, he is likely to have superstar competition for the centre-forward role next season if he does sign outright.

United’s number one priority for the summer is widely believed to be a high profile striker signing.

Varying hitmen have already been linked, from Harry Kane and Dusan Vlahovic to Goncalo Ramos, Mohammed Kudus and Victor Osimhen.

Now, a report out of Italy suggests it’s Osimhen who United will pursue and the Manchester Evening News explain how the move will be funded.


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Man Utd trio on the chopping block

Firstly, the MEN report United have made Harry Maguire, Alex Telles and Anthony Martial available for sale at season’s end.

The trio cost around a combined £153m in transfer fees (Maguire – £80m, Telles – £15.4m, Martial – £58m including add-ons).

However, Maguire is no longer a guaranteed starter with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane forming a fine partnership. What’s more, Varane’s recent retirement from international football with France should greatly aid his chances of staying fit at club level.

Telles, meanwhile, is currently out on loan at Sevilla and Tyrell Malacia’s arrival means he’ll never be better than third choice under Ten Hag. Luke Shaw is the go-to man at present.

Martial, 27, continues to struggle with injury and has only broken the 20-goal mark in a season once at Old Trafford.

The MEN report United will entertain offers for all three over the summer. While they’re unlikely to recoup the respective fees they paid, United will certainly hope to generate sizeable sums.

The money they generate will then be put towards a blockbuster striker signing. The MEN namecheck Osimhen as a United target, and a report in Italy takes it a step further.


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Osimhen to Old Trafford for £107m?

Gazzetta dello Sport (via the Express) report Man Utd are ‘willing to pay £107m to sign Victor Osimhen’ at season’s end.

A move of that size would not only be United’s new record buy, but would also surpass the British transfer record recently set when Enzo Fernandez joined Chelsea (£106.8m).

Osimhen, 24, has been virtually unstoppable for Napoli this season. Indeed, his 16 goals in 17 Serie A games have fired his side to the top of Serie A.

He’s also provided four assists and his exploits have been a huge factor in Napoli establishing a massive 13-point lead over Inter Milan.

Osimhen is also known for his tireless work-rate and in that regard, he’d be a perfect fit for the high intensity and pressing style Ten Hag wants to implement that starts with the forwards.

One potential pitfall could come in the form of Chelsea who it’s acknowledged are also sniffing around Osimhen.

The Blues spent around £550m since Todd Boehly and co. took charge, though they still somehow lack a genuinely world class centre-forward.

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