Man Utd transfer crisis exposed by 9 players and Rashford could be next | Football | Sport

Manchester United have been exposed in their inability to generate transfer funds through the sales of their own players. Their rival clubs have made a separate business from shifting unwanted players for huge sums of money, but at Old Trafford, it is a different story.

The Red Devils have only managed to sell nine players ever for a fee of £25million or more. Chelsea have managed to do it eight times in the last two summers. United are lagging behind at an astonishing pace, with Marcus Rashford set to be the next big name United are unable to extract maximum value for. Here, Express Sport takes a look at the nine anomalies that United were able to sell for big money…

The earliest departure on this list, Beckham’s transfer fee stood at around £25m. The England international had a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson during the 2002/03 campaign and departed for Real Madrid that summer.

While the midfielder solidified his position as a worldwide icon, he was never able to replicate the silverware success he savoured at Old Trafford. He secured just two further league titles in Europe – one with Madrid and one during a loan stint at Paris Saint-Germain in the latter stages of his career, having departed the Bernabeu for LA Galaxy.

James represents an anomaly on this list, as United made a considerable profit on the winger. He arrived from Swansea for £15m in 2019, netting on his Premier League debut, before costing Leeds £25m just two years later.

The Welsh international’s spell at Elland Road has been inconsistent, including a year on loan at Fulham and two campaigns in the Championship. Nevertheless, he penned a contract extension last summer after helping Daniel Farke’s side secure promotion and appeared in half of Leeds’ Premier League fixtures upon their return to the top flight.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

Scott McTominay – £25.7m

Former United midfielder McTominay proved instrumental in Napoli’s title triumph last season. The Scotland international departed for £25.7m and has flourished in Italy.

McTominay has already scored more league goals across two Serie A campaigns than during his entire United career, having been granted a greater attacking licence by Antonio Conte. His performances in 2024/25 secured him a Ballon d’Or nomination and he also shone as Scotland booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.

Mason Greenwood – £26.6m

The circumstances surrounding Greenwood’s departure from United have been extensively documented, culminating in a £26.6m transfer to Marseille in 2024. The selling club also inserted clauses to safeguard their interests should the one-cap England international subsequently command a substantial fee, resulting in a recent payment.

The 24-year-old netted 48 goals in 81 Marseille outings but was sold after they failed to secure Champions League football. He now plies his trade at Fenerbahce, with United receiving a portion of the transfer fee while paying some of that amount to Getafe following an arrangement made during his loan spell at the Spanish club.

Alejandro Garnacho – £40m

The sale of Garnacho represents an example United may well seek to replicate this summer and in future windows. The winger emerged as a teenager but had declined when Chelsea made their approach in the summer of 2025.

United recouped £40m for the Argentine, who failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge last term. He may well have featured for the Blues for the final time, moving to Aston Villa on a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to complete the transfer permanently next summer.

Hojlund is another player whom United decided to offload at a loss. The Danish forward arrived from Atalanta in a deal valued at up to £72m but has since departed to Napoli for just over half that figure.

An extended goalless run under Ruben Amorim signalled the writing on the wall for the 23-year-old, who initially linked up with Napoli on a season-long loan. A permanent clause was activated when they secured Champions League qualification, with his 12 league strikes proving influential.

Di Maria stands as one of United’s record departures, moving to Paris Saint-Germain for £44m in 2015. Yet this represented a financial hit on a player who had cost close to £60m just 12 months earlier.

The Argentina international struggled to truly adapt in Manchester, with an attempted burglary at his Cheshire residence thought to have contributed. He would subsequently flourish in Paris, claiming numerous league title, before excelling in his nation’s triumphant World Cup campaign in 2022.

Di Maria celebrated his 38th birthday earlier this year but remains in football. He returned to his boyhood team, Rosario Central, in 2025 and has netted seven times for them across all competitions this season.

Lukaku remains among United’s five most costly acquisitions, having arrived for £75m from Everton in 2017. He hit the ground running at Old Trafford but fell out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and departed for Inter Milan for marginally less than his original transfer fee.

He flourished in Italy, earning a £97.5m switch to Chelsea, only to disappoint in West London. Following two years out on loan, he joined current club Napoli for just over £25m in 2024 and helped them clinch Serie A in his debut season.

Cristiano Ronaldo – £80m

A full 17 years have passed since Cristiano Ronaldo first left United, yet he remains their record sale. Real Madrid forked out £80m for the Portuguese star, a world record fee at the time, though he more than justified the outlay with four Champions League titles during a trophy-laden tenure at the Bernabeu.

Madrid opted to cash in on their talisman when Juventus came calling in 2018, and Ronaldo subsequently returned to Old Trafford, albeit with considerably less impact than his maiden spell. Now 41 years of age, he claimed his first Saudi Pro League title with Al Nassr last season.