Report: Manchester United now willing to accept £75m loss as INEOS make big decision

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Manchester United are no strangers to throwing away millions of pounds.

The Red Devils accepted a £35m loss when selling Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham for £15m back in August, having signed the Londoner from Crystal Palace for £50m back in June 2019.

Manchester United also let a £89m signing in Paul Pogba leave for nothing, while spending £60m to sign Mason Mount 12 months before he would have been a free agent anyway.

Few recruitment decisions have actually helped Manchester United succeed on the pitch either, with Erik ten Hag‘s side sitting 14th in the Premier League.

INEOS will hope to put an end to these expensive decisions, although Sir Jim Ratcliffe has now made a call which could see Manchester United take a loss of £75m.

Manchester United willing to sell Harry Maguire for just £10m

A story from the Daily Star now states that Manchester United are happy to sell Harry Maguire for a sum of just £10m in 2025.

Ten Hag has informed his bosses that the England international is viewed as being surplus to requirements in his squad, with INEOS now deciding to listen to offers in January.

Maguire was forced out of the recent 0-0 draw against Aston Villa with a foot injury, and is not expected to return until November, with Ten Hag preferring to back his £50m signing Matthijs de Ligt instead, even when the £85m defender is fully fit.

The Manchester United No.5 only has eight months remaining on his contract, hence the £10m price tag.

However, the Daily Star believe Manchester United hold an option to extend that deal by a further 12 months, a clause which will be triggered if INEOS fail to find a buyer before the 2024/25 campaign ends.

INEOS will presumably hope a sale happens sooner rather than later, as Maguire’s contract is costing Manchester United £200,000-a-week.

West Ham will surely be interested in taking Harry Maguire from Manchester United

The Daily Star mention that West Ham came close to signing the 31-year-old in the summer of 2023, and we believe the Hammers will take another look in January.

West Ham were even looking at Joel Matip and John Egan recently on free transfers, after the departures of Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd left Julen Lopetegui short of options in the centre-back department.

West Ham bid £30m for Maguire in August 2023, so the Irons will surely be tempted by the chance to sign the man from Sheffield for £20m less than that amount.

Furthermore, Matip has now retired, and Egan has since joined Burnley, so it seems West Ham are no longer exploring the free agent market, suggesting a move for the Manchester United outcast is even more likely to happen in January.