Manchester United are facing a financial hit of about £28 million after their early Champions League exit.
United were booed off at Old Trafford after crashing out of Europe with barely a whimper on Tuesday night. Their 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich meant they finished bottom of their group and without the consolation prize of a Europa League spot.
Since United budget to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, their premature departure from the competition will mean a projected income hit of about £19.5 million in participation and performances fees and reduced TV pool payments.
Two home knockout games would also have brought in about £8.2 million in matchday income, meaning a £27.7 million hole in finances.
United will not be able to claw back any of that money through Europa League participation either since only teams that finish third in their Champions League groups are entered into the play-off for Europe’s second-tier competition.
Without European football in the new year, United could be more willing to sell in the January window given there will be a less pressing need for a big squad.
The futures of exiled winger Jadon Sancho and midfield outcast Donny van de Beek, who is attracting loan interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and Girona among others, are being treated as isolated cases and unrelated to United’s European circumstances.
However, United are expected to be open to offers for the likes of Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Anthony Martial.
United are not planning on much transfer activity either in terms of incomings or outgoings next month.
Equally, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the club still to be announced and, even then, requiring Premier League ratification which could take between four and eight weeks, there is little expectation of the Ineos billionaire being able to impact next month’s window.
But decent offers for the likes of Varane, Casemiro or Martial – who will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season with United not intending to trigger a 12-month extension option in his contract – would require consideration, even if there is no obvious market for that trio.
Many Saudi Pro League sides are at the maximum allowable limits for foreign signings and the huge wages earned by those three players will be an obstacle for most European clubs.
His former Real Madrid team-mate, Casemiro, who is sidelined through injury, is not happy with how things have panned out this season either. But, at 31 and with a £350,000-a-week contract that runs until June 2026 with the option of another year, United would have to take a huge hit on a player for whom they paid £60 million rising to £70 million.
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December 13, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Manchester United's Champions League exit to cost £28m - The Telegraph
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