Summer transfer predicament for Manchester United as they potentially face significant payouts to release key players from their contracts
Manchester United, the iconic English football club, is currently grappling with a series of challenges as they attempt to offload high-earning, out-of-favour players like Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho.
The club's predicament is compounded by a combination of factors, including high wages and long contracts, players' reluctance to move, financial constraints, and the difficulty of matching player demands with interested clubs' budgets.
Firstly, all four players have contracts extending to 2028, commanding substantial salaries that make it difficult for potential buyers to afford them without Manchester United subsidizing their wages. The club is reportedly willing to pay millions to “subsidize” these deals and encourage suitors to take the players on at lower terms, highlighting the financial burden of these contracts.
Secondly, some players, especially Sancho, have resisted moves that would require a pay cut or less playing time. For instance, Sancho reportedly refused a move to Chelsea because it would mean taking a pay cut and less stability, preferring to remain at United with a £300k weekly wage before potentially leaving as a free agent next year.
Thirdly, United entered the summer 2025 transfer window with a constrained budget of around £100 million. However, major signings like Matheus Cunha (£62.5m) and Bryan Mbeumo have already consumed much of this budget. These financial constraints mean that to fund new arrivals, United must offload unwanted high earners, but their inflated wages and unwillingness to move create a bottleneck.
The club's difficulties are further exacerbated by the missed opportunity to secure Champions League football, depriving United of significant revenue streams. This shortfall raises the stakes for offloading these players, as the club needs to free up wages and raise funds to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules and support squad rebuilding efforts.
Moreover, players' public signals and unrest, such as Garnacho's social media posts hinting at a desire to leave, can add pressure but don't guarantee an easy sale. Rashford and Antony spent much of the previous season on loan, seemingly uninterested in returning full-time, adding to the complexity of managing their futures.
In an effort to trim a bloated wage bill and address these challenges, Manchester United may need to continue subsidizing wages and find creative solutions to facilitate these exits while rebuilding the squad under tight financial restrictions. The club may also have to negotiate 'salary recovery' from loan deals for their players, but agents believe that the club's position has been undermined by their clear desire to get these players out of the club.
As Manchester United navigates these challenges, they are also looking to negotiate new signings that suit their new manager, Ruben Amorim's, preferred 3-4-3 formation. The club's transfer window struggles may be due to the need to offload high-earning, out-of-favour players, with buying clubs potentially taking advantage of and exploiting the situation, potentially making the club pay millions to move the quartet on.
[1] The Guardian, 2025, "Manchester United face struggle to offload high earners," accessed 2025-08-01. [2] The Telegraph, 2025, "Manchester United's transfer window struggles explained," accessed 2025-08-01. [3] BBC Sport, 2025, "Jadon Sancho: Chelsea opt to pay £5million back to Manchester United," accessed 2025-08-01.
Sports analysis reveals that Manchester United's struggle to offload high-earning players, such as Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Alejandro Garnacho, is a complex issue stemming from their long contracts and high wages. The prefix of these players' salaries requires the club to subsidize deals, and their reluctance to move adds additional difficulty.
Financial constraints, including a constrained transfer budget and the high costs of potential signings, further complicate the matter. Manchester United must offload these high-earning players to fund new arrivals and remain compliant with Profit and Sustainability Rules while rebuilding the squad under tight financial restrictions.
