Manchester United ready to sell six more players and loan out Antony

Manchester United have identified six more players they are open to selling this summer and are ready to loan out £82m flop Antony, according to reports.

While much of the focus at Old Trafford has been on incoming signings, the United hierarchy are also keen to trim Erik ten Hag’s squad and raise some cash to fund more transfers.

Manchester United made Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee their first summer signing and followed that up with a move for Leny Yoro, beating Real Madrid among others to a deal for the highly-rated French defender.

But several high-profile players have also left Old Trafford this summer. Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial both departed at the end of last season while Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambwala and Donny van de Beek have all secured summer moves.

United are ready to sanction the departure of several more players, however, with defenders Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all free to leave should the right offers come in.

Maguire has endured a mixed spell at the club, making more than 200 appearances for Manchester United but attracting criticism for his defending and losing the captaincy this time last year.

Lindelof has also struggled for consistency at Old Trafford, while United are willing to make a loss of around £30m on Wan-Bissaka, who is being linked with a move to West Ham.

Further up the pitch, Manchester United are also open to offers for Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, according to ESPN.

McTominay has attracted interest from Tottenham, Fulham and West Ham despite struggling to cement a place in the United team, while Eriksen is expected to leave following a significant drop-off last season.

Casemiro also struggled badly during the 2023-24 campaign and Saudi Arabia appears his most likely destination if he does leave the Manchester giants.

Brazilian winger Antony, who completed a £82m move from Ajax in the summer of 2022, will be allowed to leave on loan if a club are prepared to cover his wages. He scored once in the Premier League last season.

Manchester United will be desperate to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish next year under a manager who saved his job by winning the FA Cup.

Ten Hag believes United can ‘achieve a high level when everyone is fit’ but insists he wants more signings to arrive through the door after welcoming Zirkzee and Yoro to the club.

‘I think we showed we can beat the best team in the world on the last occasion of the season,’ he said earlier this week. ‘So when everyone is fit, we already have a good team and achieve a high level.

‘But also we know, in the depth, we need more players. Especially this season, again more games, the new model, the new format of Europe – you’ll have more games in a season, more intense games, no winter break, a January that’s very condensed.

‘You need squad depth. Then it’s more and more about survival of the fittest.’

Manchester United begin their 2024-25 campaign on August 10, taking on Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield, before kick-starting the league season a week later against Fulham.

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