New Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has decided to part ways with one of the Premier League club’s highest earners.
A changing of the guard at Manchester United
After years of disappointment and a lack of trophies under the Glazer ownership, Manchester United’s knight in shinning armor has appeared in the form of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire completed a deal to buy a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in February of this year. Ratcliffe is now in charge of the club’s sporting operations, meaning he has control over the men’s and women’s football teams.
Following his takeover, Ratcliffe has seemingly wasted little time in scouting new players ahead of the summer transfer window. Reports this week claim Ratcliffe is determined to sign Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez ahead of Arsenal. Elsewhere, Man United are said to have added Ezri Konsa to their list of defensive targets.
However, if United are to overhaul their squad in the summer, they will likely need to get rid of some of their big names. At present, the Manchester outfit are spending £3,821,346-a-week on player wages. Given they are likley to miss out on Champions League football this campaign, that figure is simply way too high.
United’s current spending on wages includes £350,000-a-week on Casemiro and £340,000-a-week on Raphael Varane. Both of these players are past their prime and though they still add value to Erik ten Hag’s squad, their salaries alone mean the Reds are probably better off letting them go.
Ratcliffe looking to offload £340,000-a-week United star
Ratcliffe seemingly agrees with that assessment as Football Insider have reported that United are set to allow Raphael Varane to leave on a free transfer this summer when his deal runs out.
It is added that Manchester United opted not to trigger a one-year extension in Varane’s contract back in February and Ratcliffe has decided not to overturn that decision since taking control of the club’s sporting operations.
Varane, now 30, remains one of Manchester United’s best centre-back options when fit. However, the World Cup winner has been plagued with injury issues across the current campaign. His latest issue saw him miss the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield over the weekend, forcing Erik ten Hag to hand 19-year-old Willy Kambwala only his second-ever Premier League start.
As a result, it would make sense for Manchester United to allow Varane’s deal to expire at the end of June and use the money saved on his wages to sign a younger, cheaper replacement whom the club can build up in the coming years – much like Arsenal did with William Saliba and Gabriel.
