Man Utd: Six players could leave Old Trafford at end of season
Manchester United could let as many as six players leave this summer as they prepare to back new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer market.
However, their plans are complicated by uncertainty over the futures of Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez.
Solskjaer will decide if Sanchez can go, but the forward’s salary may deter potential suitors.
United are in dialogue with Herrera and Mata, who are out of contract at the end of the season.
There is no certainty, though, that agreement will be reached with either player. Indeed, one source has told the BBC that Herrera has already agreed to join Paris St-Germain next season, although this has not been confirmed by either his representatives or the club.
Sanchez has started just five games – with six further substitute appearances – and scored one goal since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho on 19 December.
Yet there are few clubs in the world with the financial means to get anywhere near the salary he currently earns, and it is not immediately obvious which, if any, of them would be interested given his wretched form overall since leaving Arsenal in January 2018.
In Football Leaks material published by Der Spiegel in May 2018, it was claimed Sanchez, whose contract runs to 2022, earns £391,000-a-week, with an additional £75,000 for every game he starts.
It was said the 30-year-old also gets a £1.1m annual fee, along with additional bonuses, the triggers for which are yet to be met.
The departure of half-a-dozen players would represent United’s biggest clearout since 2015, when Louis van Gaal let six senior players go, including Angel di Maria, Tom Cleverley and Anders Lindegaard,
One player United are keen to keep is goalkeeper David de Gea – and they believe he wants to stay.
An option on De Gea’s contract was triggered in November to keep him at Old Trafford until 2020.
Although there has been no agreement on the former Atletico Madrid man’s personal terms, United remain confident of negotiations eventually reaching a successful conclusion.
source bbc
