Manchester United are ready to let one of their first-team squad leave for just £4m this summer as they look to rejuvenate Erik ten Hag's side ahead of the new Premier League season, it has been reported.
Man Utd in midst of clear out
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival has coincided with the aim of a major clear out at Old Trafford, with high-earning pair Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane both having already left as free agents after their contracts expired at the end of the season. Two years on from Ralf Rangnick revealing that United needed "open heart surgery" to improve, the current United boss echoed those comments.
"Rangnick was absolutely right", Ten Hag told the media. "We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job."
More players are expected to depart this summer as they look to continue their overhaul, with reports at the end of last season revealing that only Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo were guaranteed to still be at Old Trafford for 2024/25, with everyone else free to leave for the right price.
Heading that list is right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose departure should facilitate the arrival of Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, while there are also question marks over the futures of Casemiro, Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay. And another man within the Man Utd ranks has been up for sale this summer by INEOS.
Man Utd midfielder on the move?
That comes in the form of midfield veteran Christian Eriksen, who is reportedly unhappy at Manchester United given his lack of game time at Old Trafford.
The Danish midfielder joined the Red Devils in 2022 and made 28 Premier League appearances in his first campaign in a Manchester United shirt. However, that number dropped to 22 in the most recent season and the 32-year-old was increasingly an unused substitute for Ten Hag.
Christian Eriksen's gametime at Manchester United
2022-23 PL season
2023-24 PL season
Appearances
28
22
Starts
25
12
Minutes
2063
1140
% of available minutes played
60%
33%
Goals/assists
9
3
He was dubbed a "class" player by compatriot Hojlund during the March international break, who urged Ten Hag to offer him more opportunities.
"He holds his head high and he is a class player. There is absolutely no doubt about that," the United no.9 told TV2. "He is a good player, so you would like to see him on the field, but we have many good players. So it must be the coach’s decision whether he plays or not."
But he is now into the final 12 months of his £150,000 a week deal at Old Trafford, and Caught Offside report that United "are ready to part ways" with the midfielder this summer.
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They add that Eriksen will be allowed to leave for just €5m (£4.2m), which would still represent a profit given that they signed the Dane for free. However, they will not listen to loan offers given his contract situation, with INEOS "in no mood" to allow Eriksen to leave on a free transfer, meaning that they want to sell either this summer or in January.
Given his lack of gametime, a departure makes sense for all parties, while getting his wages off the books will allow Man Utd more flexibility to agree more signings before the transfer window slams shut.