Manchester United’s plan to strengthen their midfield options in next summer’s transfer window is being shaped by the prospect of shaving £1 million-a-week off the club’s wage bill and re-investing the savings on players capable of adding youth, energy and long-term value to the heart of Ruben Amorim’s team.
Expiring contracts of high earners Casemiro, Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho, plus a confidence that Marcus Rashford’s £325,000-a-week salary will be removed by a permanent move to Barcelona or elsewhere has given United the opportunity make huge savings on player costs. And sources have told ESPN that the financial boost of such savings will enable the club to compete for the signings required to complete the next phase of the squad rebuild under director of football Jason Wilcox and coach Amorim.
United have already expressed their interest in Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, making tentative enquiries in August before the Seagulls placed a prohibitive £115 million valuation on the 21-year-old Cameroon international. And there is also ongoing interest in Crystal Palace’s England midfielder Adam Wharton, 21, and VfB Stuttgart’s 24-year-old Angelo Stiller.
– Connelly: What lessons can be learned after 10 games across Europe?
– Lucky or unlucky: How have Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd fared?
– Ranked: Best, worst 2025 transfers from Premier League and beyond
But despite United relying heavily on Brazil international Casemiro, who will be 34 in February, sources have said that there are no plans to add to Amorim’s midfield options in January, with the club determined to hold out until the summer when they will be able to pursue their top targets.
United spent £225 million on new signings this summer, adding forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to Amorim’s squad before completing a deadline day move for goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Although the need for midfield reinforcements had been acknowledged by the recruitment team, sources told ESPN that United rejected Chelsea’s offer of Romeo Lavia as part of the deal that saw Alejandro Garnacho move to Stamford Bridge, ultimately for £40 million, due to concerns over the 21-year-old’s fitness record.
And although a late flurry of outgoings in August helped ease budget constraints, United’s financial position did not allow for further moves in the transfer market. Furthermore, January is unlikely to offer the club a chance to make further additions.
While the United hierarchy believes that the club has begun to stabilise on and off the pitch — following a turbulent 18-month period that has seen Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group become take over football operations from majority owners, the Glazer family, and oversee a cost-cutting drive that resulted in over 400 job cuts at Old Trafford — the lack of European football this season has cost United at least £40 million in lost income. But the efficiency drive under INEOS, combined with a Glazer-imposed 25% reduction in player salaries while not competing in the Champions League, has seen United’s wage bill drop to its lowest level since the 2017-18 season, when the overall salary bill amounted to £295.9 million.
United’s wage bill for the 2024-25 season dropped to £313 million from £364.7 million a year earlier, and this season’s figure is also likely to fall due to new contracts being heavily incentivised and started at a lower base salary.
There are also more savings ahead in the cases of Sancho, Rashford, Casemiro and Maguire. With Sancho’s £300,000-a-week salary is set to come off the books when his contract expires at the end of the season, bringing to an end the 25-year-old’s nightmare time at United. Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a £71 million transfer in 2021, Sancho has scored just 12 goals and registered six assists in 81 appearances. He is now on loan at Aston Villa following previous loan spells at Chelsea and Dortmund and has undoubtedly been one of the worst, and most expensive, signings in United’s history.
Rashford still has two-and-half years to run on his £325,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford, but with the 28-year-old making a success of his loan move to Barcelona and the LaLiga champions having the option to trigger a £30 million permanent deal at the end of the season, it is expected that Rashford will move on next summer.
All of ESPN. All in one place.
Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now
Casemiro and Maguire are both out of contract next June and both are big earners, with former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro on £350,000-a-week and Maguire paid £200,000-a-week. ESPN has reported that United are prepared to negotiate new deals with the two players, but only on significantly reduced, and incentivised, terms. It remains to be seen whether an agreement can be reached that suits all parties.
Yet even if Casemiro and Maguire, 32, opt to take big pay cuts to stay, United would still be saving around £1 million-a-week, and over £50 million-a-year, by parting with Sancho and Rashford and paying Casemiro and Maguire significantly smaller salaries. Such a saving would enable United to comfortably pay the wages of two new midfielders, with the club’s powerful revenue machine able to generate the funds for transfer fees. Moves for Baleba and Wharton could cost United a combined £180 million if they pursue the pair again next summer, while Germany international Stiller is rated in the £50 million bracket.
Whatever happens in future transfer windows, the days of United signing ageing stars for big fees on big wages, including Casemiro, Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, are gone. United are now playing a longer game and having identified the need for smarter recruitment and sensible spending, the building blocks are already being put in place for next summer’s transfer window.
