Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

The most expensive Man Utd sales of all time: Ronaldo holds top spot, Beckham still in top 10

Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham playing for Man Utd

Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham have all left Man Utd in big-money deals

While Manchester United are renowned for spending big on new signings, they’ve often struggled to recoup money when selling players.

United are looking to offload players this summer as they try to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

We’ve taken a look at the 10 most expensive sales in Manchester United’s history and how those players fared after leaving the club. While we’ve mentioned the potential add-ons in any deal, we’ve ranked the players by their initial transfer fees.

Note: we’ve not included Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who joined Arsenal in an infamous swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez move in the opposite direction without any money being exchanged.

10= Anthony Elanga – £15m

One of five United academy graduates on this list, Elanga fell out of favour under Erik ten Hag and decided to leave Old Trafford in search of regular first-team football.

He joined Nottingham Forest in a £15million deal in 2023 and enjoyed a promising debut season at the City Ground, registering five goals and nine assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.

“It wasn’t easy to leave United because I had been there for nine years from academy to first team,” the Sweden international said.

“But at the end of the day I have to think about myself and would I want to stay another year coming in and out from the bench or be a starter at a team on the rise, improving and getting better.”

10= Dean Henderson – £15m

Henderson made just 29 first-team appearances for United and vented his frustration after failing to usurp David De Gea as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

He spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Nottingham Forest before joining Crystal Palace in a deal worth an initial £15million and another £5million in potential add-ons.

The England international shared goalkeeping duties with Sam Johnstone in the 2023/24 season and kept six clean sheets in 20 appearances in all competitions.

9. Danny Welbeck – £16m

After United signed Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan deal in September 2014, Louis van Gaal allowed Welbeck to join Arsenal in a £16million deal.

The striker scored 32 goals in 126 appearances for the Gunners, including a winner against United in an FA Cup quarter-final in 2014/15.

But injury problems hampered his time in north London, and he was released by the club at the end of the 2018/19 season.

8. Jaap Stam – £16.35m

Stam spent three full seasons at United and won three Premier League titles, a Champions League and an FA Cup, as well as two UEFA Defender of the Year awards.

United made the surprise decision to cash in on the centre-back in August 2001, selling him to Lazio for a fee of £16.35million.

“At the time he had just come back from an Achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit,” Sir Alex Ferguson said. “We got the offer from Lazio – £16.5million for a centre-back that was 29. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Ferguson came to regret that decision as the former Netherlands international enjoyed a successful career post-United, winning trophies with Lazio, AC Milan and Ajax.

7. David Beckham – £17.5m

Beckham left United in the summer of 2003 due to a breakdown in his relationship with Ferguson, who famously kicked a boot at the winger after an FA Cup defeat against Arsenal.

“The next day the story was in the press,” Ferguson said. “In public, an Alice band highlighted the damage inflicted by the boot. It was in those days that I told the board David had to go.

“My message would have been familiar to board members who knew me. The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go.”

Real Madrid fought off competition from Barcelona to sign Beckham, paying an initial £17.5million and another £7million in potential add-ons.

The former England international registered 20 goals and 51 assists in 159 appearances for Madrid and won a La Liga title in 2006/07.

6. Morgan Schneiderlin – £20m

Schneiderlin joined United from Southampton in a £25million deal in 2015, but he endured a difficult time at Old Trafford and was deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho.

United did at least get most of their money back by selling him to Everton in January 2017 in a deal worth an initial £20million and another £4million in potential add-ons.

The France international also failed to find his best form at Goodison Park and was sold to Ligue 1 side Nice for just £2million in 2020.

5. Mason Greenwood – £23.2m

Greenwood’s United career was brought to a sudden halt when he was arrested in January 2022 and later charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault.

While the charges against him were dropped, United ultimately opted against reintegrating the striker back into the team.

He had an impressive loan spell at Getafe in 2023/24 and his performances attracted interest from Benfica, Valencia, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Lazio and Napoli.

Marseille won the race for his signature after agreeing to pay United an initial £23.2 million and a further £3.4 million in potential add-ons. United have also inserted a sell-on clause into the deal to earn a sizeable share of any future transfer.

Man Utd forward Mason Greenwood during Getafe loan

4. Dan James – £25m

The first signing of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era, James joined United from Swansea City in a £15million deal in 2019 and made 74 appearances for the club.

But the Wales international fell down the pecking order after United signed Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021.

United still made a profit by selling him to Leeds in a deal worth an initial £25million and another £5million in potential add-ons.

The winger had an underwhelming debut season at Elland Road and spent the following campaign on loan at Fulham, but he has now become a key player in Daniel Farke’s side.

3. Angel Di Maria – £44.3m

United agreed to pay a then-British transfer record fee of £59.7million to sign Di Maria from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.

The Argentina international failed to justify that price tag and joined Paris Saint-Germain in a £44.3million deal after just one season at Old Trafford.

He got his career back on track and registered 93 goals and 119 assists during a seven-year stint in Paris and also won 19 trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles.

2. Romelu Lukaku – £64.7m

The third-most expensive signing in United’s history, Lukaku was bought for £75million in 2017 and scored 27 goals in his debut season at Old Trafford.

But the goals dried up in his second campaign, and he was sold to Inter Milan in a deal worth £64.7million and a further £9.2million in potential add-ons.

The Belgium international rediscovered his goalscoring form at Inter, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions. He also won the Serie A title in the 2020/21 season before returning to England with Chelsea.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £80m

After joining United from Sporting in 2003, Ronaldo developed into one of the best players in the world and picked up his first Ballon d’Or award.

But he expressed his desire to move to Real Madrid, who spent a then world-record £80million fee to prise him away from Old Trafford in the summer of 2009.

“I respect everyone’s opinion but I don’t agree with these people (who have criticised the fee),” Ronaldo said after joining Madrid.

“If Real Madrid have paid so much money it is because they wanted me and considered it good value. I am going to do all I can to play well and prove the money they paid for me has been well spent.”

The Portugal international didn’t disappoint, scoring 438 goals in 450 appearances for Madrid while winning two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and four Champions Leagues.

READ MORE: The biggest Manchester United transfers of all time: Leny Yoro enters top 10 after £52m move

Manchester United David Beckham Cristiano Ronaldo Mason Greenwood

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