Manchester United preparing to sell NINE first-team players in brutal mass squad exodus: report
Erik ten Hag is set to ruthlessly cull his squad to make space for new signings
Manchester United will look to sell nine first-team players in the upcoming summer transfer window, with Erik ten Hag looking to continue his rebuild of the squad ahead of next season.
While the Red Devils are prioritising signings for a striker, preferably Harry Kane, centre-back Kim Min-jae and Mason Mount in midfield, the club also have to factor in financial fair play (FFP) regulations, with sales therefore necessary.
Consequently, nine players could be leaving Old Trafford in the summer, with the Mirror reporting that club captain Harry Maguire is among those allowed to leave. The Telegraph are suggesting that Tottenham Hotspur are showing an interest in the England international, in the hope that his signing will persuade Kane to stay at the club.
Elsewhere, Erik ten Hag seems to have grown tired of Anthony Martial's lack of availability in the season, and is looking to offload him for a more reliable striker. The Frenchman managed to start just 17 games in all competitions, and was injured for 26 matches in total.
Dean Henderson is also another likely departure, having spent the season on loan at Nottingham Forest. According to the report, Forest are readying a bid for the 26-year-old, who is eager for first-team minutes as David De Gea is preferred in front of him.
Manchester United will also look to permanently sell two other players who have spent the season on loan, with neither Alex Telles nor Eric Bailly part of Ten Hag's plans for the 2023/24 campaign. The former returns a Europa League winner with Sevilla, but has Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia ahead of him in the pecking order at left-back, while Bailly was at Marseille and unfancied by the Dutchman.
Brandon Williams, who made just one appearance for the first-team in the Carabao Cup, is also available for transfer, the 22-year-old clearly out of favour.
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In midfield, Fred, McTominay and Donny van de Beek could all be heading for the Old Trafford exit door. Fulham have been linked with the Brazilian, after being spotted after the final game of the season having an extensive chat on the pitch with Marco Silva.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, have a long-standing interest in McTominay, and could revisit that in the summer as they look to add strength in depth to their midfield.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Van de Beek, who has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines injured, will explore options to leave Manchester United, despite his former Ajax boss now in charge at the club.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.