Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joseph McBride

7 deals Man Utd can complete after Erik ten Hag discovers modest summer transfer budget

Erik ten Hag will reportedly be given a £120million transfer budget at Manchester United this summer, meaning that he could sell some of United's out of favour stars if he wants to boost his potential spend.

According to The Times, Ten Hag wants to sign up to five players in a variety of different positions, with two defenders, at least one midfielder and two attackers being targeted. Of course, £120m is a lot of money, but in todays market and with so many positions needed filling, it won't get United very far.

Therefore, Ten Hag will need to make sales in order to boost the funds available to him, making for a hectic summer for director John Murtough. And seven stars could potentially be sold to raise finances for Ten Hag to make a real difference this summer.

Unfortunately for United, they thought they were set to receive £20m for Andreas Pereira, who is currently on loan at Brazilian side Flamengo. But even though it seemed like a guaranteed sale, they have changed their mind and the midfielder will be on his way back to United this summer.

But Pereira surely has no future at United, and even if they can raise £15m from a sale it could go a long way. Another star set to return from a loan spell is Anthony Martial, as Sevilla are reportedly not interested in making the move permanent.

It's yet to be seen whether the Frenchman has a future under Ten Hag, but if Martial can find a new admirer is could bring in a cool £25m, which is what he is currently valued at according to Transfermarkt. Whereas United need more attacking reinforcements, defensively they need to replace surplus stars, and it could be a fire sale this summer.

Anthony Martial failed to impress at Sevilla (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

With Juan Mata. Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba all set to leave, in attacking areas they simply need more bodies. But in defence they could afford to sell the likes of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Alex Telles.

Bailly and Jones are behind the pecking order with Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof all clear, and Brandon Williams will be returning from his loan spell at Norwich. There are reports suggesting that he could be given a chance, as will Luke Shaw if he can get back to his best.

Therefore Alex Telles could be sold, and there is a decision to make over two other stars. England pairing Dean Henderson and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have both fallen out of favour, and they could be two of United's most valuable stars to bring in needed funds.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has fallen out of favour (REUTERS)

Wan-Bissaka has lost his place in the United team to Diogo Dalot, and Henderson has been linked with a move to Newcastle this summer. David De Gea looks like staying at United for the foreseeable future, meaning that Henderson could be no.1 elsewhere.

Henderson was in the conversation to replace De Gea two seasons ago after a brilliant campaign with Sheffield United, but the Spaniard has since proven why he is the undisputed no.1. Wan-Bissaka cost United £50m just a few seasons ago, and could bring in a healthy fee.

Ten Hag has already made a lot of changes to the backroom staff behind the scenes at United, but he will need to do the same with the players if he is to make an impact. £120m may not be enough, so he may have to make a quick squad assessment when pre-season begins.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.