Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spoken of his desire to identify the next Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Roy Keane as Manchester United prepare to raise funds for a summer spending spree.
Ratcliffe was officially announced as United's co-owner in February, with the club having earlier having confirmed the deal subject to Premier League ratification. The summer transfer window will be the billionaire's first in full charge of footballing matters, but this season's struggles in the league could impact their movements.
United are all but certain to miss out on Champions League football next term, sitting 13 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with six games to play. In February, Ratcliffe said the club "really, really want" to qualify for the tournament, and failure to do so could yet prompt an overhaul.
The future of Erik ten Hag has been the matter of discussion after an underwhelming league performance. Regardless of whether the Dutchman stays or goes, though, six stars who cost a combined £232million could be on their way out in the upcoming window.
"I'd rather find the next Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," Ratcliffe told The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast in March (via Sky Sports). "It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way?
"Anyone could figure that one out," he added. "Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."
"It's not where our focus is, the solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that over the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club and make sure we get recruitment right. It's such a vital part of running a football club today, finding new players."
The impending summer exits aren't all expected to bring in substantial funds, but there is an opportunity to trim the wage bill ahead of further investment. High-earning forward Anthony Martial is expected to leave upon the expiry of his contract, while winger Antony could leave just two years after his £86m arrival from Ajax.
Mason Greenwood has been tipped for a permanent exit after his year on loan at Getafe, while winger Amad is also expected to move on after struggling for minutes under Ten Hag. The sextet of exits could be rounded off by two more men currently out on loan, Facundo Pellistri and Jadon Sancho, though there have been suggestions Borussia Dortmund loanee Sancho might yet have a future at Old Trafford.
Sancho's former Manchester City under-18s coach Jason Wilcox is among Ratcliffe's targets as he looks to rebuild United's background team. The 53-year-old, currently at Southampton, is understood to still be a fan of Sancho despite the England international falling out with manager Ten Hag early in the 2023-24 campaign.