Man Utd to fund thrilling Serie A double deal by axing £90m quartet

Joshua Zirkzee is a striker target for Man Utd

Manchester United are hoping to sign Joshua Zirkzee and another Serie A star this summer, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly looking to offload four unwanted players to fund those captures.

So far, Man Utd have yet to bring any new players into their first-team squad, though they have allowed Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Brandon Williams to leave on free transfers, while also selling Alvaro Fernandez to Benfica. Ratcliffe, who owns 25 per cent of Man Utd, has identified centre-forward as a position which needs strengthening to help the Red Devils get back to challenging for Premier League and Champions League titles.

Man Utd have resultantly been linked with a host of top strikers, but the latest player they are firmly looking at is Bologna’s Zirkzee. Indeed, on Wednesday it emerged that Man Utd are stepping up their talks with the attacker’s agent, Kia Joorabchian.

Ratcliffe and Man Utd love the fact that Zirkzee will cost far less to sign than most of their other striker targets, as his Bologna contract includes a £34million release clause.

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Interestingly, Man Utd have also made contact with Bologna for Zirkzee’s team-mate Dan Ndoye, who mainly plays as a right winger and is currently shining for Switzerland at Euro 2024.

It is unclear at this stage exactly how much Ndoye will cost to sign alongside Zirkzee. But it has been widely reported that Man Utd are operating close to their Financial Fair Play budget, so players need to be sold in the coming weeks and months to fund their potential arrivals.

According to the MEN, four struggling players will soon follow the likes of Varane and Martial out of the Old Trafford exit door.

Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is up for sale and is next on the chopping block. The Englishman has never lived up to his massive £50m price tag and Ratcliffe is now willing to sell him at a big loss.

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Wan-Bissaka has been linked with Man Utd’s Prem competitors Everton and West Ham United, but he is more likely to sign for Turkish giants Galatasaray. Indeed, Wan-Bissaka has already agreed personal terms with Galatasaray.

Wan-Bissaka could be sold alongside fellow defender Victor Lindelof. The centre-half cost Man Utd £31m in July 2017 and has been a useful backup, though his time is now up.

Ratcliffe will make sweeping changes to Man Utd’s centre-back options and Lindelof will likely make way as a result. The Sweden captain has been backed to join Everton in a double deal with Wan-Bissaka, but former Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho is pushing to land him for Fenerbahce first.

This could see Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka come up against each other in the Turkish Super Lig next season, even though they have been linked with same Prem side (Everton) recently.

Central midfielder Hannibal Mejbri does not have a future at Man Utd, either. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla but they are unlikely to sign him permanently, which will force Man Utd to offer the 21-year-old to alternative clubs.

Hannibal originally cost Man Utd £9m as a youngster, but with just a year left on his contract he will leave the club for less than that fee.

The fourth and final player due to depart Man Utd is Christian Eriksen. He impressed during his first year under Erik ten Hag but has since lost his starting role to starlet Kobbie Mainoo.

Eriksen has been open about his frustrations with sitting on the bench and Man Utd will allow him to join a new club so that he can become a regular starter once more.

Whatever fee Man Utd sell Eriksen for will be nominal, but it will still be a profit as they captured him on a free transfer from Brentford in summer 2022.