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Manchester United are planning a summer exodus as manager Erik ten Hag seeks to free up the wage bill and raise capital to supplement the limited transfer budget available to use.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding the departures of club captain Harry Maguire as well as No 9 Anthony Martial but both will be difficult to shift considering their form and wages.
One player who is expected to be moved on as per The Telegraph is Fred with Jason Burt reporting that the Red Devils are asking for £20million for the Brazilian.
However, the Cottagers do not want to pay that amount considering the player has only one year left to run in his current contract.
Fred’s departure inching closer
“Fulham want to sign Manchester United midfielder Fred. The Brazil international has just one more year left on his contract at Old Trafford and is one of a number of first-team players up for sale ahead of a hoped for significant squad overhaul.
“United are understood to want a fee of £20 million for Fred but that is certainly more than Fulham are prepared to pay. They hope that a compromise can be reached given he is for sale.”
It was reported by The Peoples Person that Fulham are interested in a move for the Brazil international, who was seen in discussions with Fulham manager Marco Silva after the final game of the Premier League season.
The midfielder had expressed his wish to sit down with the management to chalk out his future and it seems his immediate future lies away from Old Trafford.
It had seemed that Fred had impressed Ten Hag with his big-game displays against the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona but that is not proving to be the case.
The 20-time English league champions had triggered the one-year extension option last season in a bid to protect the 30-year-old’s value but it might not be of much use in the end.
Another loss-making venture for United
If the Reds do agree to a sale of below £20 million, it would represent a huge loss considering their initial outlay of £52 million back in 2018 to sign Fred on a five-year contract from Shakhtar Donestk.
This comes a few days after a shocking report which stated that the Red Devils are set to incur a £28million loss if they end up accepting Real Betis’ offer for Eric Bailly.
United’s sale record is very poor and judging by recent reports, that trend is set to continue.
The Telegraph report also added that Fred’s midfield partner Scott McTominay, who is being eyed by multiple Premier League outfits, could stay on as Ten Hag is happy to work further with him.
Fred’s departure could open up the possibility of bringing in Mason Mount and possibly Adrien Rabiot as well as Ten Hag’s eyes massive improvements in his second season.
