Man United chief heads to Saudi Arabia to sell 4 first-team stars

Manchester United took a desert detour this month, with football director John Murtough jetting to Saudi Arabia to flog four first-team stars and raise urgent funds for January reinforcements. 

Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial, and Casemiro are up for sale, and the United chief was in Riyadh to woo Saudi Arabian clubs, per the Daily Mail.

The Red Devils have already splashed over £200 million on summer signings, leaving their coffers dry for the winter window. 

The Saudi Pro League, awash in petrodollars, have emerged as a potential destination for clubs looking to flog their unwanted stars and recoup some funds. 

However, the talks, though fruitful in forging new connections, yielded no immediate transfer news.

United want to offload Sancho, who has been banished from the first-team action for over three months following a fall-out with Erik ten Hag.

Nevertheless, a January move to the Saudi League looks impossible as the clubs have maxed out their foreign player quotas, forcing United to wait for the summer to push the England international out of the door.

Sancho’s exile isn’t the only transfer sandstorm brewing at Old Trafford. United are also ready to sacrifice Varane, Martial, and Casemiro for the right price. 

Varane has also reportedly fallen out of favour with Ten Hag after poor performances that led the Dutch manager to bench the World Cup winner.

Casemiro, who was a cornerstone of Ten Hag’s successful first season in England, could also be on his way out of the club after battling with niggling injuries for most of the season.

He has been out of action since October. Before that, he missed games due to suspensions. This has also been concurrent with a sharp downturn in form, and the Reds are ready to part ways.

United want to sell Martial but will struggle to find suitors as his contract expires at the end of the season. 

Will the Saudi sojourn bear fruit? Only time will tell if it’s a goldmine or another desert mirage. 

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