Any signings in this unique summer will be a very big deal
THERE is still no date for the transfer window to open in England but already the number of players linked to United is piling up.
Club officials are used to seeing the club’s name thrown around like confetti when it comes to transfer business and while the forthcoming window promises to be like no other, that hasn’t stopped United being touted as a potential destination for a variety of footballers.
There was general bemusement around Old Trafford at the idea that United might have a transfer budget of EUR300million this summer, when the noise from inside the club and across the continent is that no club is going to be immune from a significant hit on revenues as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
As the report into football finances from Deloitte, released on Thursday, said, Premier League clubs are facing a £1bn black hole at the moment. Some of that might be recoverable, but it won’t be instant. As United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said last month, it won’t be ‘business as usual’ for some time.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect for clubs is that there is no obvious route out of the situation at the moment. Nobody knows when matchday revenues will return, what the damage to the corporate and sponsorship market will be, how broadcast deals will stand up and whether a second Covid-19 wave might force a halt to next season.
A fear of the unknown has gripped clubs and that makes the idea that this will be a summer of big-money deals one that ignores the economic realities facing even a club of United’s stature and security.
While United still want to be active whenever the summer transfer window opens, their ambitions will inevitably change as they come to terms with the events of the last three months.
So the idea, reported in Spain, that they would consider a bid in excess of £89m for a 17-year-old in Barcelona winger Ansu Fati, looks completely out of sync with the modern reality this summer.
Instead it might be a case of prioritising the priorities. What would have been a successful window four months ago, such as three new signings, might now be considered miraculous. Not only are deals pushing the £100m mark incredibly difficult to do, but multiple deals at the level you would expect for a club of United’s stature are almost certainly off the table.
Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish have been United’s top targets longterm and they remain a priority, but securing both this summer will not be easy. Even bringing just one to Old Trafford might be considered a success.
Both Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa will be determined to hold on to their prize assets. In Villa’s case, Grealish’s future will be significantly impacted by whether they can pull off Premier League survival over their remaining 10 games, with deals between Premier League clubs always costing a premium. The insurance policy of Premier League TV money means topflight clubs are rarely in a position where they need to sell, which is why Leicester City were able to hold firm over Harry Maguire last summer until United agreed on an £80m fee, all paid up front.
Sancho’s case is perhaps even more interesting. Dortmund might want to keep hold of the England international, but they have a business model that relies on selling their young stars high. Ordinarily, Dortmund would expect there to be a competitive market for a 20-year-old who has produced extraordinary performances in the Bundesliga this season and is clearly one of the game’s hottest properties.
But competition for his signature will be slim
to non-existent this summer. Most of Europe’s biggest clubs have had to ask their players to take pay cuts or deferrals.
It makes committing more than £100m on one player this summer almost impossible.
While United haven’t asked their playing squad to take cuts or deferrals to wages, and have in fact gone to exceptional measures to support all staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, their reality when it comes to transfers isn’t much different.
The EUR300million kitty doesn’t exist and deals will be difficult to do.
Yet United might be presented with a free run at Sancho this summer. It’s hard to find an obvious alternative destination for the former City youngster right now.
Wait a year and if the financial recovery of clubs is accelerating and Sancho is continuing to produce world-class performances at Dortmund, there could be a queue of clubs across the continent wanting to sign him.
All of which makes the summer an exercise in tightrope walking for United.
Signing Sancho, one of the best talents the English game has produced in a long time, would be a considerable statement of intent and he looks a perfect fit for this team, but if Dortmund refuse to budge on their own valuation it might be impossible.
A deal for Sancho might also mean that’s where the window ends for United.
More than ever the forthcoming window might be a game of brinksmanship. Whose needs are the greatest? Does the selling club need the money or the buying club need the player? Clubs will also be desperate to engineer some kind of market, some kind of bidding war for their players.
When the transfer window is given dates and the delayed seasons across Europe come to an end, the situation for many clubs will be marginally clearer, but every club – including United – is going to have make some difficult decisions over the coming months.