Solskjaer To Sacrifice 4 Manchester United Stars To Clear Funds For $146M Midfielder This Summer: Report

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly planning to sacrifice four big stars this summer window, including Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard, to clear funds for Jadon Sancho’s move to Old Trafford from Dortmund.

Sancho, who is currently contracted with Dortmund until June 2022, will not come for cheap this summer. Ahead of the upcoming transfer market, it has been reported that Dortmund have increased Sancho’s transfer fee from $124 million to $146 million. While they regard Man Utd as Sancho’s only option for a move, the final decision is expected to depend on the Red Devils’ Champions League qualifications for the 2020-21 campaign as the 20-year-old midfielder has clearly expressed that he is looking to join a club that can offer him Champions League play.

Apart from Man Utd, Sancho has other clubs looking out for him as well such as Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Liverpool. However, it is understood that all the clubs are put off with the midfielder’s high asking price. Nevertheless, Man Utd are still interested in Sancho’s services but even they have been heavily hit financially by the global coronavirus pandemic, like other clubs. Even Sancho is interested in a move back to Premier League, three years after he had left Manchester City to join Dortmund.

According to Mirror, Man Utd’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who is also in charge of the club’s transfers, has warned Solskjaer that he must recover financially by making some space in the current squad before making a move for Dortmund’s Sancho.

The report has further disclosed that Sanchez, who earns $493,000-a-week, will be the first one to depart from the club. The Chilean striker, who moved from Arsenal to Man Utd in 2017, has turned out to be a major disaster, having scored just five times in the two full seasons he played between 2017 and 2019. While he is currently with Serie A side Inter Milan on loan, Solskjaer has admitted that it will be difficult to find a buyer for Sanchez, who has scored just once for Inter Milan in the ongoing season.

Next in the firing line are Lingard, Andreas Pereira, and Phil Jones, along with fellow defender Chris Smalling.

Man Utd are hoping to earn $24 million from Lingard’s transfer, who has fallen down the club’s pecking order and also lost his place in the England national squad last year.

Smalling, who is currently on loan at Roma, is wanted by the Italian club permanently and would guarantee at least $12 million.