Dean Henderson
Henderson expects to join Nottingham Forest permanent and Forest informed him two months ago of their intention to make a £30m deal with United.
For now, Henderson is in a team pattern like United inch closer to a deal for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana. Talks at United and Erik ten Hag insist Henderson is an option, but it is face-saving to protect his resale value.
Premier League-proven Henderson, 26, an academy graduate and England international, is one of United’s most salable assets and Forest’s Premier League survival ensures there is a willing and patient buyer.
Harry Maguire
United value Maguire at £50m, which clubs will balk at. Maguire may be United captain, but he started 16 games last season – eight of them in the cup – and is fifth in their central defensive pecking order. He also turned 30 this year.
Read also: Covid, kicks and a rejected loan – how United settled on Onana as their No.1
Maguire still has two years left on his contract and that supports his assessment, as does his starting status for England. But at club level, Maguire has been out of form for two years.
There is a small pool of Premier League clubs who could raise money for Maguire, but would they want him? Newcastle had the best defensive record last season with Sven Botman and Fabian Schar ahead of Nick Pope, while Aston Villa have just signed Pau Torres.
If an acceptable offer is made for Maguire, United will need to recruit an upgrade. As a club source said, they had to consider whether it was all worth it.
Eric Bailly
Marseille had an obligation to sign Bailly for €6 million if they qualified for the Champions League and he made a certain number of appearances. You can guess who failed to hold up their end of the bargain.
Bailly returns to United this month after a season in which he missed seven games due to a ban for injuring an opponent with a kung-fu kick. Few elite clubs would want such a random and unreliable defender.
United consider Bailly a must-sell, but even Saudi Arabian clubs may think twice about the injury-prone defender. Bailly, 29, is out of contract next year and will be released if there are no players in this transfer window or the next.
Alex Tells
Another must-sell, Telles is at least still getting call-ups to the Brazil squad and has the capacity to start in Sevilla’s recent win in the Europa League final. His valuation is well into the eight figures despite entering the final year of his contract.
Al-Nassr has shown an interest and there is no immediate rush for United to offload Telles as they have four other left-backs. They won’t want to be short-changed for a player they could actually make money from after buying Telles for £13.6m. in 2020.
Brandon Williams
Williams has had a tough two years. He was aboard Norwich City’s sinking ship on a season-long loan in 2021-22 and an injury last term sidelined him for five months. Williams played five minutes all season, and that came in December.
The 22-year-old has not started for United in more than two years, is their fourth-choice left-back and Williams’ deal expires next year. His antics on social media after the Champions League final are also a red flag.
If Williams goes, it will be cheap.
Peace
Fulham are so keen on Fred that their manager, Marco Silva, put him on the collar after their defeat to United in May. United have already signed a midfielder and Fred is out of contract next year.
Despite his squad player status, Fred started twice against Barcelona last season and in both cup finals. The 30-year-old spent five years at United and is a Brazil international, so the reputed valuation of around £20m is perfectly fair for a midfielder who also started games at the World Cup.
United may have to wait, but Fred is one of the few assets who can really be sold and there is a market for his signature even if he is not at United this time next year.
Scott McTominay
McTominay has not been listed by United in their ‘for sale’ section, but as a 26-year-old midfielder with Premier League pedigree, he could command an impressive fee if there is interest.
Newcastle have been linked with McTominay but signed Sandro Tonali from AC Milan and will be restricted by financial fair play rules. McTominay, like his youth team-mate Henderson, is a £30m asset and there are few Premier League clubs with the money to spare for a busy midfielder.
West Ham will be when Declan Rice finally takes the Central and Piccadilly Lines to Arsenal. David Moyes is a Scot who appreciates tireless runners and West Ham offer European football. McTominay must at least be considered.
Donny van de Beek
In three years, Van de Beek has started four meaningful Premier League games, picked up three significant injuries in the last two years, missed 47 games last season and is still on an individual training programme. That’s a tough sell, isn’t it?
He has also been absent from the Dutch side for the past two years, scoring two goals in 60 United games and flopping on loan at Everton, where he managed seven games last year. It’s hard to believe that any Premier League club would want a playmaker who possibly belongs in the Eredivisie.
Van de Beek, 26, still has two years left on his United contract.
Anthony Martial
Seventeen goals in three seasons, six injuries last season, no 90-minute Premier League appearance since January 2021 and he is currently recovering from a hamstring tear. A club doesn’t need to consult their recruitment analysts to wonder why Martial isn’t worth signing.
He is also out of contract next year and if Martial misses more than 50 per cent of United’s games this coming season, he will have to be released. Then Martial might be worth a point as a free agent. For now he is damaged goods.
Anthony Elanga
United received inquiries for Elanga in January and pulled the plug on a possible loan move to Everton on deadline night. Everton are now back in Elanga.
The 21-year-old is valued at a reasonable £10m and are not considered part of Ten Hag’s plans. Elanga is returning from pre-season holiday and Everton only reopened talks with United this week.
United’s passenger list for next week’s flight to New York will be telling.