5 release clauses MU can trigger in the transfer window including £30m bargain

With Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils in dire need of change, Manchester United could look to some players with appetising release clauses come the summer to stop the all-encompassing rot

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United could shift their gaze to superstars with enticing release clauses in their contracts when selecting summer reinforcements.

As the Portuguese head coach's debut season draws to an end, returns have been miserable. Since supplanting Erik ten Hag, Amorim has won just six top-flight fixtures, drawing five and losing a whopping 11. His men are on course for an all-time worst Premier League finish, and currently languish in 14th.

Were it not for a potential Europa League triumph - a semi-final date with Athletic Club fast approaching - the campaign would all be written off. Looking ahead to the summer transfer window, it is evident that new names are needed. The Red Devils will likely give their 40-year-old manager some new tools to work with, and Mirror Football takes a peek at stars who could see their release clauses activated before going on to call Old Trafford home.

Liam Delap

Ipswich Town's revelation of a No. 9 was only purchased for an initial £15million in the summer of 2024 to aid the Tractor Boys in their top-flight plight. Still, once their fate is sealed and a relegation to the Championship is confirmed, he could reportedly depart for just double that fee.

With 12 Premier League goals to his name, Liam Delap has fired his way into the eyeline of top English clubs. His all-around play has seen the ex-Manchester City academy star become a hot commodity, and news broke earlier this month that, should his current employers be relegated, a £30m release clause within the five-year deal he signed 12 months ago becomes active.

The Suffolk-based side are essentially down, sitting 14 points from safety with five matches to play, and reports from the Mail suggest United could be the ones to step in and bag themselves a bargain. Current first-choice marksman Rasmus Hojlund has yet to live up to his hefty £72m price tag, and a tally of 24 goals in 88 matches isn't good enough for a club the size of United.

Englishman Delap could be the one to come in and lead Amorim's line next term, despite his past allegiance to rival Cityzens, who reportedly hold a £40m buy-back agreement on the 22-year-old - though may see little point in bringing him back to the Etihad in Erling Haaland's presence.

Jeremie Frimpong

A pivotal but at-the-minute dysfunctional aspect of Amorim's system deployed at Old Trafford is the use of marauding wingbacks. At previous club, Sporting CP, it was wide play that aided the Portuguese to two historic league titles.

Alas, a combination of Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, new man Patrick Dorgu, and frequently sidelined Luke Shaw just hasn't cut it so far. So much so, that youngsters like Harry Amass - who performed admirably in their latest 1-0 defeat to Wolves - are being chanced in the position.

Few wing-backs in Europe hold the blistering speed and technical brilliance of Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong, another ex-City academy ace who could be on the move this summer thanks to a favourable release clause.

The Dutchman was a pivotal piece of his German employer's invincible Bundesliga campaign last year, but the homegrown talent's £33.5m clause has attracted a swirling flock of suitors, namely United's bitter rivals Liverpool. Should the Red Devils want to make a splash, then shelling out for Frimpong could do just that, and talks held in 2023 and reported by the MEN suggest he is well on their radar.

Dean Huijsen

Though Spanish international Dean Huijsen showed very little before his £12.6m move to Bournemouth in 2024, he is now considered by many to be one of the Premier League's, if not European football's, brightest defensive sparks.

Born in the Netherlands, Huijsen played his youth football in Spain before switching to Juventus in 2021. Two years later, he made the club's reserves and, in 2024, earned himself a loan switch to Roma. In the Italian capital, he played 14 times, scoring two goals, and only earned a single senior showing for The Old Lady before his summer switch.

This campaign, however, Huijsen has been coolness personified for the Cherries, calmly leading a defence that has conceded just 40 goals while acting as a backbone for an unlikely tilt at European football.

Many top outfits have unsurprisingly turned their attentions to Huijsen, and United, who are in dire need of a centre-half - with 20-year-old academy graduate Tyler Fredricson needed to staff the position in their last outing - could be the ones to activate the defender's £50m clause amid reports by Spanish outlet Relevo of their interest.

Victor Osimhen

The Red Devils' need for a potent attacking threat is known, with Hojlund's subpar performances and the likes of Joshua Zirkzee not among the goals as much as fans would like.

One name that has been linked with not just a move to Old Trafford, but also Stamford Bridge and the Emirates, is Nigerian superstar Victor Osimhen.

The 26-year-old emerged as one of Europe's premier sharpshooters when helping parent club Napoli to their Scudetto success of 2023, and, after a falling out last summer, he seemed destined for the English top-flight with Chelsea and Arsenal among the reported interested parties. Yet, no deal was completed, and a loan move to Galatasaray was settled upon.

But when the Super Eagles talisman returns to Serie A in the months to come, a permanent transfer away is thought to be preferred. United are supposedly interested and may be able to seal a deal for Osimhen via his release clause for just £64m, as per Sky Germany.

Matheus Cunha

The latest club to dish out a loss to United, Wolves, will likely lose their talismanic Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha come the summer transfer window.

Cunha arrived at Molineux in 2023 on an initial loan deal, which became permanent for a fee thought to be around £44m. While the 25-year-old's initial showings lacked a goalscoring edge and confidence, the attacker has grown into one of the Premier League's most feared.

This campaign, Cunha ran United dogged with Wolves, orchestrating their 2-0 victory at home against Amorim's side in late 2024 before winning the free-kick that Pablo Sarabia converted to seal an unprecedented double over the weekend.

According to the Telegraph, these auditions have seen his £62.5m release clause be a price United are willing to pay in instalments, as they desperately search for a skilful attacking outlet.