Premier League
Transfer deadline: Five players set to leave Manchester United
Manchester United transfer news has been dominated by player exits in the January transfer window and there are five players who could leave Old Trafford this Monday
The club is set to face a busy close to the January transfer window and attention is more on exits than arrivals.
Last week, there were two exits as Anthony Martial left on loan to Sevilla while Amad Diallo also joined Rangers on loan arrangement.
According to Mirror Football, the emergence of Anthony Elanga in United’s first-team further bloated the squad at Ralf Rangnick’s disposal and this month has been focused about trimming costs.
United added Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Tom Heaton to their squad last summer and this month has focused on slimming their squad and wage budget.
There are five more players who could depart Old Trafford on the final day of the transfer window as United look to finalise their squad for the remainder of the campaign.
Donny van de Beek
Donny van de Beek is almost certain to leave United today with a loan move agreed with Everton.
The Dutchman will become the first signing of Frank Lampard’s rein at Goodison Park after the Merseyside club beat off competition from Crystal Palace and Valencia.
Van de Beek has endured a difficult 18 months in Manchester, scoring just twice as he failed to sustain a run of first-team matches.
He is expected to return to Old Trafford this summer when his long-term future will be assessed.
Jesse Lingard
Lingard has been frustrated in recent months with lack of first-team action for Man Utd
A year ago Jesse Lingard joined West Ham on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign and scored nine goals in 16 matches.
It was an error on the part of all parties not to sanction a permanent exit for the England international this summer.
Lingard has become increasingly frustrated with a lack of playing opportunities but a move away has not come to fruition.
Tottenham and West Ham had approaches for Lingard knocked back as United consider them top four rivals, leaving the door open for Newcastle.
The Magpies still have not ruled out a move for Lingard but the Red Devils inserting a clause if Newcastle avoided relegation seems to have collapsed talks for a loan deal.
Lingard will leave United as a free agent this summer and it remains unclear if he will play for the club again or secure an exit on Monday.
Dean Henderson
Another player with limited first-team opportunities at Manchester United – goalkeeper Dean Henderson is a loan target for Newcastle.
Henderson could join Newcastle on a loan deal for the remainder of the season
As per the Manchester Evening News , the two clubs are in discussions which would see the Magpies cover Henderson’s £110k weekly wage and pay the Red Devils a loan fee.
Henderson has not been able to displace David de Gea as United’s number one this campaign and is desperate for first-team football for the second half of the campaign.
Would mean Tom Heaton and Lee Grant would be understudy for De Gea for the remainder of the campaign.
Phil Jones
United central defender Phil Jones could also be poised to depart the club amid interest from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.
The central defender has made just one appearance for the Red Devils in the last two years and the club would be open to his exit this month to help reduce their wage bill.
Jones started in United’s side 1-0 defeat to Wolves earlier this month but the 29-year-old impressed after finally returning to action with an assured and commanding performance.
This summer’s arrival of Raphael Varane further pushed Jones down the pecking order at Old Trafford with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly also ahead of him in the selection process.
Jones could now join Bordeaux on loan to replace former Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, who has left the Ligue 1 club and after having his contract terminated.
Eric Bailly
If the exit of Jones falls through, there is a small possibility that Eric Bailly may instead leave Old Trafford.
The Ivorian is behind Maguire, Varane and Lindelof in the order at United and he has received attention from Italian club Milan in this transfer window.
Bailly has endured an inconsistent and injury-riddled few years at Old Trafford with an exit this year a real possibility.
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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