Manchester United are set to receive more than £13million in sell-on fees following two transfers, but may wonder if they should have kept the players in question
Manchester United may be left ruing what might have been after two of their former players were sold for fees totalling almost £100million. The Red Devils are desperately looking to revamp their squad following a torturous 2024/25 campaign.
In recent seasons, United have been blighted by numerous missteps in the transfer market, with a string of expensive signings failing to live up to their price tags. The club is trying to move on some of those misfits to fund fresh arrivals and maintain headroom when it comes to PSR restrictions.
Only Matheus Cunha has arrived from Wolves this summer, while exhaustive talks with Brentford over another striker, Bryan Mbeumo, continue after at least two rejected bids. To add insult to injury, United have seen two players they let go relatively cheaply flourish and go on to secure big-money transfers elsewhere.
Anthony Elanga, 23, who United sold to Nottingham Forest for £15million two years ago, has just joined Newcastle United in a £55m deal. Elanga made 55 appearances for United but was deemed surplus to requirements by then-head coach Erik ten Hag.
United did retain an interest in the Swedish winger in the form of a sell-on fee related to profit, which means they will reportedly net £6million. While that is a useful sum, United may have been the club reaping the benefits of his potential instead of a direct rival.
Another ex-United player is on the move, Alvaro Carreras, who has left Benfica for Real Madrid in a deal worth £43m. The left-back, 22, was previously part of Real's youth set-up before joining United in 2020.
However, again under Ten Hag's watch, he was allowed to leave for Benfica, initially on loan, before sealing a permanent move for just £5m. United's interest was retained in two ways: a sell-on fee related to profit and a buy-back option, reports Fabrizio Romano.
United opted not to trigger the buy-back clause, although they are said to have received around £7.6m as part of Real’s purchase. Again, United’s decision not to keep or trigger their buy-back option now looks questionable, given that he now resides with the 15-time European champions.
Meanwhile, with just a month to go before the start of the Premier League season, Mbeumo remains a Brentford player, with the two clubs seemingly no closer to striking a deal. United are believed to have offered in excess of £60m - £55m plus £7.5m in add-ons.
However, the Bees are said to be demanding a fixed fee that surpasses the £62.5m that United paid Wolves for Cunha. The inpass adds to the frustration of Amorim, who is eager to get as much business done as soon as possible so he can integrate new players into his squad during an intense pre-season campaign. The Red Devils begin their Premier League campaign against last season's runner-up, Arsenal, on Sunday, August 17.