According to reports, Man Utd’s ‘mystery’ summer transfer budget will not be increased even if Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim buys the club from the Glazer family.
The Red Devils have improved since Erik ten Hag took over last summer. The Dutchman has ended their trophy drought and they are also on track to finish in the top four.
But they are still far away from Man City so Ten Hag will be looking to strengthen his squad this summer. A new striker and centre-midfielder are expected to be pursued by the head coach.
United’s long-term future is uncertain at the moment as they have been up for sale since last November. Sheikh Jassim and INEOS’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe are hoping to oust the Glazer family, but the current owners also have interest from several potential minority investors.
Ten Hag remained coy earlier this week when asked if he had received assurances that he would be given funds to add to his squad.
“No, I don’t have an influence on that… also I don’t know,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“The only thing I know is that Man United is one of the biggest clubs in the world from a fanbase perspective. The club has to compete for the highest in the world — Champions League, Premier League.
“But in football, you need funds to construct squads because, at the end of the day, the level of your players decides if you are successful or not. Everyone knows high-level players cost a lot of money.”
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A report from The Athletic has confirmed that ‘there is much uncertainty around United because of the sales process’. But they reveal that Ten Hag’s so-called ‘mystery’ budget this summer will be ‘about £100m’. They explain.
‘Whether Ten Hag was keeping his cards close to his chest for negotiation purposes or whether he genuinely is in the dark about how much he will be given to spend, the truth is there is much uncertainty around United because of the sales process.
‘Club staff have been told it is business as usual, but the prospect of a new direction suddenly coming in means there is a hesitancy to go full throttle.
‘As it stands, United are looking at a budget of about £100million ($125.6m), due to financial fair play rules. This would be the case even under Qatari owners.
‘Wiping away the debt would allow for more flexibility but the way for United to really raise additional money is via player sales, and that perhaps was at the crux of how Ten Hag answered a question about what is happening across town.’
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