The five Manchester United players whose sales would be “pure profit” despite not being Academy graduates

Manchester United have five players within Rúben Amorim’s current squad whose sales would be classed as “pure profit” despite the players not graduating from the Academy.

Manchester United are looking to make as much profit as they can this summer through sales as they raise funds for Rúben Amorim’s squad.

It’s expected that a major overhaul will take place during the upcoming transfer window, with many of those currently in the side deemed not good enough to cope with the demands of his system.

United will see many first-team players depart the club this month, with those such as Victor Lindelöf and Christian Eriksen out of contract once the season ends.

It’s also expected that the players currently on loan, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia, will all be sold in the summer window, alongside a few current first-team players like Casemiro.

How United are looking at the upcoming window

As far as the upcoming window is concerned, United will be looking at it from a profit and sustainability rules (PSR) perspective, and will use the rules in place to secure as much profit as they can.

When a player is signed, their transfer value is spread (amortised) over the cost of their initial contract, so if a player signs for £50 million on a five-year contract, their cost would be £10 million per season.

So, if said player is sold after three seasons, they would need to be sold for over £20 million in order for the club to make profit according to PSR, as this is their value according to the two seasons left on their contract.

Regarding Academy players, the value of any sale would count as “pure profit” as the player had no transfer fee to begin with, which is what made the sales of Willy Kambwala, Mason Greenwood, and Scott McTominay so valuable last summer.

Five other “pure profit” players

However, there is a second way a player’s sale would be counted as “pure profit”. If a player has already played for longer than his initial contract, the value of any sale would go down as pure profit as there would be no value to offset the fee.

United have five players in this situation. One of which is Harry Maguire. Maguire signed for United for £80 million on a six-year contract, which was then extended by a further season, and as he would have completed his six seasons by this summer, any amortisation value will have gone.

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The same goes for captain Bruno Fernandes, who signed a new deal last summer. Amad is another player who’s sale would technically be recorded as pure profit, while Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw are in the same situation, too.

However, it’s unlikely that either Fernandes, Amad, or Dalot will be sold this summer, and as for 32-year-old Maguire, his contract expiring next summer and current age means he is unlikely to command significant value.

However, Shaw’s contract does not expire until 2027, meaning the club may still be able to command some significant fee for the player. His future is in doubt after consistent injury issues over the last two seasons, and he muy be sold to help balance the books.

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