Manchester United are making millions in sell-on fees from former players moving clubs this summer.
The Red Devils are looking to bolster their own squad after a dismal season last campaign that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Their season could have been somewhat saved had they won the Europa League, but they lost the final 1-0 against Premier League rivals Tottenham and pressure is now on Amorim to perform.
After branding his United team the ‘worst’ in the club’s history last season, Amorim has been desperate to improve the personnel at his side, with United officials so far backing him in the transfer market.
Matheus Cunha has been the headline arrival at £62.5million from Wolves, while Diego Leon also signed for £7m from Paraguayan side Cerro Porteno. The pursuit for Bryan Mbeumo, though, is still on, with the Red Devils yet to meet Brentford’s valuation of £65m.
But Amorim’s side have been receiving boosts elsewhere in the market because of former players swapping sides – with Anthony Elanga’s £55m move to Newcastle showcasing just that.
According to James Ducker of The Telegraph, Elanga’s move to the north east has seen United pocket £6m because of a clause inserted in a former deal.
Winger Elanga left Old Trafford for Nottingham Forest in 2023 after struggling for game time at Old Trafford, but quickly became an established Premier League star and a sought-after man.
He had spent eight years at United after joining their academy in 2015, making 55 appearances for the first team before departing.
The now-23-year-old joined Forest for £15m, but with a reported sell-on clause that would see United bank 15 per cent of profit on any deal. Given he moved for £55m, United are said to have picked up around £6m of the fee.
That’s also the case surrounding former United left back Alvaro Carreras, who is on the verge of leaving Benfica to join Real Madrid for around £43m.
Carreras, 22, spent four years at United having initially joined their youth set-up from Madrid, but failed to make a first-team appearance having enjoyed time on loan at Preston, Granada and Benfica.
Last summer, he moved to Portugal permanently for around £7m, which means Benfica will pocket around £36m of profit. 20 per cent of that – £7.2m – will go to United.
The money made by the Red Devils could well be added to their transfer kitty this summer as they look to continue to rebuild their squad ahead of a big year for Amorim.
They will be hoping to raise more money in sales too, with Juventus reportedly making Marcus Rashford their top target this summer.
United have their own bomb squad, with five players told to look for new sides. They are Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Antony and Jadon Sancho.
The summer was made harder due to a lack of European competition next season, but the club are understood to be keen to continue adding to their ranks.
