Manchester United could end the January transfer window with Ruben Amorim’s squad in tatters as INEOS reportedly look to offload three major players as soon as possible.
According to TEAMtalk, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo could all be forced out of Old Trafford this month in a desperate bid to avoid breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Rashford’s exit will not come as a great surprise, with the forward only making one matchday squad since early December after expressing a desire to leave the club.
The player has been heavily linked with a move to AC Milan, although Barcelona have entered the frame as a possible destination for the 27-year-old as well.
Departures of Garnacho or Mainoo would sting much more, and while fans have expressed concerns about moving academy players on, they are for the first time being confronted with the possibility of both wonderkids being moved on.
TEAMtalk cite The Telegraph when claiming that clubs are “ready to pounce” on January deals for all three players as they “anticipate Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanting to avoid frantic PSR sales on June 30 to stay within financial rules.”
The trio would represent pure profit should they be sold, as they came up through the academy so cost the club nothing.
It is thought that potential buyers “believe Man United are more open to a sale in the remaining three weeks of this month’s window as opposed to waiting until the end of the season – when a sale may be needed – as their negotiating position will reduce significantly.”
TEAMtalk also claimed that Chelsea hold “genuine interest” in Mainoo and that “negotiations over a contract extension for the midfielder are taking longer than anticipated.”
They note that the Blues could “cause some headaches for Man United with a big bid late in the window” but that Mainoo “would be the last player the club would want to sell this month, a view shared by manager Ruben Amorim.”
The report notes that Mainoo’s agents “have been informed of Chelsea’s desire to sign him”, but that the 19-year-old is “prioritising contract talks with Man United and isn’t actively looking to leave.”
Garnacho, meanwhile, looks to be nearer the Old Trafford exit with Napoli earmarking him as a replacement for the outgoing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Italian club are thought to have already had a bid for the player turned down, having failed to meet United’s valuation. TEAMtalk note that this was reported in Italy as around €50m, but in reality is north of €70m.
While Rashford is almost certainly set to depart, it seems unlikely that Garnacho and Mainoo will also leave in January and there is in fact every chance both will still be at the club come February 1.
Nevertheless, these reports are unsettling for United fans who see these youngsters as crucial to the project of building a young, hungry squad for the future as well as the present.
While Garnacho’s current role under Amorim is as an effective substitute, Mainoo has nailed down the centre-midfield role alongside Manuel Ugarte and would be a gigantic miss on the pitch as well as a symbolic loss off it.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
