Two Manchester United players eager to leave despite several persuasions
According to Metro, Jadon Sancho is eager to leave Manchester United and join Paris Saint-Germain before the summer transfer window closes.
PSG are actively seeking attacking reinforcements following Kylian Mbappe’s transfer to Real Madrid, with Sancho emerging as a prime target.
Sancho, who returned to the United first team this summer, participated in their pre-season matches and featured in last Saturday’s Community Shield against Manchester City, where he missed a penalty in the shootout.
After publicly challenging Erik ten Hag about his training efforts, Sancho was excluded from the squad a year ago. He refused to apologize and was subsequently loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January. Although he and ten Hag appear to have reconciled, Sancho is now focused on a potential move to Paris.
RMC Sport reports that Sancho is keen to join PSG, and the French club has already made initial contact with his representatives. However, a transfer is still uncertain as United are demanding €60 million (£51.4 million) for the 24-year-old winger.
In addition, United and PSG have discussed a potential move for Manuel Ugarte, who is eager to join Old Trafford. Ten Hag is looking to add a new central midfielder, with Ugarte identified as a key target. However, PSG are holding firm on their €60 million valuation of Ugarte, which United have yet to meet, leading them to explore other options.
Ugarte has reportedly been excluded from training matches by PSG’s head coach, Luis Enrique, and RMC suggests that negotiations with United are expected to continue as the transfer window nears its end.
United have made significant signings this summer, bringing in Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro from Bologna and Lille, respectively, along with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in a double transfer worth just under £60 million.
Following the exit of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Man United are improving their success rate in the seller’s market.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka in action for Manchester United in pre-season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has left Manchester United after five years at the club.
Manchester United announced their fifth major departure of this summer’s transfer window on Tuesday morning, confirming the exit of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
After five years and almost 200 appearances in United colours, the right-back sealed a move to West Ham United, signing a seven-year contract. It is understood he has joined the London outfit for a fee of £15million.
Wan-Bissaka had recently entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford and this summer felt like a natural juncture for him and United to go their separate ways.
At the time of writing, United are very close to announcing the arrival of Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. He is understood to have completed all of the formalities that come with sealing a transfer, meaning all that is left is the official announcement from the club.
It would have been naive of United to have let Wan-Bissaka go without a replacement waiting in the wings, meaning it is hardly surprising that the Londoner’s exit has coincided with Mazraoui’s imminent arrival at Old Trafford.
Wan-Bissaka resurrected his United career in December 2022, being dragged back in from the cold after the mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar. He had made just one appearance prior to the tournament and yet finished the season with 34 to his name.
He regularly competed with Diogo Dalot for the right-back berth and he stored 30 appearances under his belt last season. He was often dependable defensively last term, living up to the billing as being one of the best one-vs-one defenders in the league.
Sometimes unfairly scapegoated by some United fans, Wan-Bissaka is a solid signing for West Ham, who have secured his signature without breaking the bank. £15m for a defender of his quality and experience represents good business from their point of view.
For United, the headline is that they have sold a player for £35m less than they paid for him. However, United probably did not sign Wan-Bissaka in 2019 with the vision of making a profit.
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Getting £15m for a player who had less than a year left on his contract is decent business and a sign that United’s understanding of two-way recruitment is improving. The club has been guilty of stockpiling players in recent years, allowing them to run down their contracts and leave for free.
Wan-Bissaka is the fifth player United have banked a fee for this summer, highlighting that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s hunger for the club to become more proactive in the seller’s market is slowly taking shape. Manchester City and Liverpool have expertly made use of that market in recent years, selling players with a lot less credit and experience in the bank than Wan-Bissaka, but United’s decision to cash in on the right-back this summer is a sign of improvement.
United have needed to sell players to fund new additions this summer and they have banked relatively solid fees for the likes of Willy Kambwala, Mason Greenwood and now Wan-Bissaka. Donny van de Beek and Alvaro Fernandez had no future at United and they too have been moved on. The money they have pocketed from their latest sale is by no means game-changing, but it will certainly be useful.
After years of failing to offload players at the right times (Jesse Lingard immediately springs to mind), United are improving their success rate in the seller’s market. There is still a lot for them to learn, but cutting ties with Wan-Bissaka at this stage of his contract is certainly a step in the right direction.
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