Man Utd will have staggering £400MILLION to spend in summer transfer window if they sell Rashford and Greenwood
MANCHESTER UNITED would have an eye-watering £400 million to spend in transfers if they sell both Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.
New part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning a mass exodus this summer to take advantage of the ‘pure profit’ loophole.
‘Pure profit’ allows clubs to bank all transfers made, incentivising the sale of academy products who were signed for nothing.
Rashford joined United at age 7, while Greenwood was accepted into the Halifax development team at the age of six.
But both players have reportedly fallen out of favour with their boyhood club for a host of reasons.
Rashford’s performances and off-field behaviour this season has exposed him to ridicule from fans and media.
And the United hierarchy are ready to sell Greenwood too – despite his impressive form on loan with Spanish side Getafe.
The sale of either player would be accounted for as pure profit in United’s 2024/25 financial records.
Even after this season’s issues, on and off the pitch, an auction for Rashford in the summer would have bidders, starting at £70m and probably prepared to go near to £100m.
This would help them to stay on the right side of Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
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Fees paid for players you buy are “amortised” over the length of the initial contract.
So a £100m player signing a five year deal has an FFP “cost” of just £20m per season.
Effectively, if Rashford is sold for £100m, United would be able to spend £400m – taking new players’ wages into account – and balance the books.
Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in the winger as they prepare to say goodbye to Real Madrid bound Kylian Mbappe.
All profits from sales, even if the fee is actually paid in long-term instalments, is banked at the full value.
While United aim to cash in on 22-year-old Greenwood, they would not get all of the funds due a bizarre sell-on clause in his loan contract.
It means if Greenwood is NOT signed by Getafe they will claim 20 per cent of whatever fee is exchanged.
The LaLiga side did not pay any money to bring him to the club on loan, meaning they are set to profit from the deal no matter the outcome.
The unforeseen impact of homegrown player sales could prove to be United’s saving grace.
Meanwhile it is not clear which manager will have the transfer budget next season.
England manager Gareth Southgate has been tipped as the overwhelming favourite to replace Erik ten Hag should he be sacked.
Ratcliffe, in charge of United’s football operations, said: “If we get the right people in the right boxes, the results will drop out the bottom.”
While United weigh up whether to cash in on Rashford and Greenwood, the bleak futures of Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane look a lot more certain – with both players set to leave this summer.
The pair are due to be out of contract in June and United have opted against offering extensions, meaning their colossal wages which, when combined, soak up more than £600,000 a week, will be shifted off the club’s books.
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