Manchester United are preparing to make ANOTHER big transfer loss as they look to offload £73m star Jadon Sancho in January… with Red Devils only making profit on FOUR players in the last 10 years!

• Jadon Sancho has been exiled from United’s first-team squad since last month 
• The Red Devils are looking to offload the winger during the January window 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’

You wouldn’t know it, due to the lack of silverware claimed, but Manchester United are by far and away the biggest spenders in football across the last decade.

The Red Devils have spent £1.19billion, according to the CIES Observatory, on transfers since 2014 – taking them to the summit of the highest net spending list.

However, for all that money spent, United have had little to show for it as they’ve failed to clinch a Premier League or Champions League title in that time.

And, as Jadon Sancho looks to be heading out of the club in January following his public falling out with Erik ten Hag, it looks like the winger could be the latest big-money flop at Old Trafford. 

And so, here, Mail Sport takes a look at United’s poor transfer business across the last decade. 

Manchester United are keen to offload £73m winger Jadon Sancho in the January window

Sancho has not been in United’s squad since August after falling out with Erik ten Hag

Your browser does not support iframes.

Firstly, it only makes sense to delve into the ongoing feud between Sancho and Ten Hag that threatens to disrupt the entire season for the Red Devils. 

As it stands, the United manager is refusing to back down in his stand-off with Sancho, who has been banished from the first-team squad since effectively calling Ten Hag a liar after he was dropped from last month’s defeat at Arsenal due to a poor attitude in training.

In addition to allegedly lacklustre efforts on the training ground and persistent lateness, Mail Sport has learned that Ten Hag has highlighted Sancho’s influence among team-mates as a cause for concern, although this is strongly denied by sources close to the player.

For former Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho, his stint at United has gone far from planned – having scored just nine Premier League goals since joining for £73million in 2021.

In contrast, the winger managed to record eight league goals and 11 assists in his final Bundesliga season but has failed to replicate such numbers at United. 

United are so eager to offload Sancho in January that they are willing to subsidise his £300,000-a-week wages if they are able to agree a loan move for the rest of the season. 

Juventus and former club Borussia Dortmund have both been linked with Sancho, but neither will be prepared to match United’s £60million valuation for a player who by that stage is unlikely to have played for over four months.

United will struggle to recoup the £73million spent on Sancho when he joined back in 2019

Over the course of the decade, United have a net spend of £1.19billion with their transfers

A lengthy lay-off will see Sancho’s transfer value decline further from the £73m United paid for him two years ago with the club fearful it will not recover unless he impresses whilst playing on loan elsewhere. 

And he’s not the only signing that has failed to kick-on at Old Trafford in recent years, with just four players actually leaving the club for a profit within the last decade. 

Dan James, Daley Blind, Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling are the only players to have been sold for more than what they were bought, which serves as a testament to the poor business from United in the past 10 years.

The study from the CIES also revealed that, despite having the biggest net spend, United aren’t even close to the biggest total spenders.

Across the last decade, United have splashed out £1.67bn on new players, however have only recouped about £480m on their players.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have spent close to £2.25bn on players since 2014 but have managed to rake in £1.37bn in player sales. A significant difference to United’s work.  

Chelsea have a far higher gross spend that United however boast a lower net spend after managing to recoup £1.37bn in player sales since 2014

After leaving the club for free as a youngster, United spent £89.3m to bring Paul Pogba back to the club before eventually letting him leave for free at the end of his contract in 2022

When looking at the 10 most expensive signings in United’s history, seven of them remain in United’s current squad – such as Mason Mount and Casemiro.

UNITED’S TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE DEALS 

1. Paul Pogba from Juventus (£89.3m)

2. Antony from Ajax (£85.5m)

3. Harry Maguire from Leicester (£80m)

4. Romelu Lukaku from Everton (£75m) 

5. Jadon Sancho from Dortmund (£73m)

6. Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta (£72m)

7. Casemiro from Real Madrid (£60m) 

7. Mason Mount from Chelsea (£60m) 

9. Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid (£59.7m)

10. Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon (£47m)

However, there are three players on the list – in Paul Pogba, Angel di Maria and Romelu Lukaku – who have departed the club.

While none of them will be regarded as good bits of business from United, Pogba’s transfer perhaps embodies the chaotic nature of the transfer actions best.

The France international came through United’s academy but, after failing to agree a new deal, left to join Italian giants Juventus on a free transfer in 2012.

After his impressive showings during four seasons in Turin, United decided to splash out to bring the midfielder back to Old Trafford and sealed a £89.3m deal.

Pogba was expected to be a catalyst in United’s up-turn in fortune however he failed to live up the expectations and left the club with just one Europa League and one FA Cup title to his name.

To make matters worse, United – once again – allowed Pogba to leave on free following the expiration of his contract. That’s £90m spent, £0 received (twice).

Pogba remains United’s record transfer deal but the Red Devils did break the record for the world’s most expensive defender after signing Harry Maguire in 2019. 

United splashed out £80m on the former Leicester City defender, which surpassed the fee which Liverpool spent to sign Virgil van Dijk in 2017.

However, unlike the Dutchman, Maguire has struggled at United and has consistently been critiqued for his performances in the United defence. 

Harry Maguire was close to sealing a £30million move to West Ham during the summer

The lack of trust from manager Ten Hag became evident during the summer, after Maguire had the captaincy taken off him and given to Bruno Fernandes. 

In August, Mail Sport revealed that was close to securing a £30m move to West Ham – which would’ve seen the Red Devils take a huge £50m loss on the deal. 

And there are more. Pogba and Maguire are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to analysing United’s poor transfer business across the last decade. 

Di Maria joined United for an, at-the-time, British record fee of £59.7m from Real Madrid before completing a £44m move to PSG just one year later.

Similarly, Memphis Depay joined the club for £25million in 2015 before eventually leaving to join Lyon in a deal worth £21.6m in 2017. 

Romelu Lukaku’s £73m departure to Inter Milan back in 2019 might seem decent given they paid £75m to sign him from Everton – however after just two years in Italy, Inter managed to secure a £98m deal to sell him to Chelsea.

Angel di Maria (left) and Memphis Depay (right) both struggled during their stints at the club

It serves as a microcosm for United’s struggles to recoup decent fees for their players, even despite the lucrative price-tags they have previously paid. 

And the growing concern from United fans will be that history could soon repeat itself – with seven of their all-time most expensive signings still at the club. 

One of the key candidates that could fall into the category of big-money ‘flops’, alongside the aforementioned Sancho, could be Brazilian winger Antony.

The 23-year-old completed an £85.5m move from Ajax in August 2022 but the winger has failed to kick-on as many had expected. 

To make matters worse, Antony is facing domestic abuse allegations made by some of his former partners – which forced the club to ostracize him up until recently. 

At the end of September, he ended a four-week absence by resuming training while his team-mates played Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

There’ll be no doubt that Erik ten Hag will be hopeful that the Brazilian will be able to reimplement himself and that United won’t, once again, lose out on millions. 

Brazilian winger has struggled since make an £85.5m move to United back in 2022 

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article