Manchester United took a desert detour this month, with football director John Murtough jetting to Saudi Arabia to flog four first-team stars and raise urgent funds for January reinforcements.
Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Casemiro are up for sale, and the United chief was in Riyadh to woo Saudi Arabian clubs, per the Daily Mail.
The Red Devils have already splashed over £200 million on summer signings, leaving their coffers dry for the winter transfer window.
The Saudi Pro League has emerged as a potential destination for clubs looking to flog their unwanted stars and recoup some funds.
However, the talks yielded no immediate transfer news. United want to offload Sancho, who has been banished from the first-team action for over three months following a fall-out with Erik ten Hag.
A January move to the Saudi Pro League looks impossible as the clubs have maxed out their foreign player quotas, forcing United to wait for the summer to push Sancho out of the door.
Sancho’s exile isn’t the only transfer sandstorm brewing at Old Trafford. United are also ready to sacrifice Varane, Martial and Casemiro for the right price.
Varane has also reportedly fallen out of favour with Ten Hag after poor performances that led the Dutch manager to bench the World Cup winner.
Casemiro, who was a cornerstone of Ten Hag’s successful first season in England, could also be on his way out of the club after battling with niggling injuries for most of the season. He has been out of action since October. Before that, he missed multiple games due to suspensions.
This has also been concurrent with a sharp downturn in form, and they are ready to part ways with the Brazilian holding midfielder.
United want to sell Martial but will struggle to find suitors as his contract expires at the end of the season.
With United’s balance sheet looking shaky, January promises to be a scorcher at Old Trafford, both on and off the pitch.
