United, like most clubs, often stagger transfer fee payments. The \u00a336.5million they paid Bologna for Joshua Zirkzee in 2024, for example, was spread over three years.<\/p>\n
Of the money owed to clubs, almost half (\u00a3238million) is due to leave their accounts over the course of the next 12 months, which is why qualifying for the Champions League<\/a> is so important for the club from a financial perspective.<\/p>\n United would earn at least \u00a3100million for qualifying for the league phase. They have not played in the competition since the 2023-24 season when, led by Erik ten Hag<\/a>, they finished bottom of their four-team group under the previous format.<\/p>\n United recruited well last season. Senne Lammens, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, who cost a combined total of more than \u00a3200million, have performed impressively, but United will need to add at least three more players to their squad this summer, with central midfield the priority. They also need a back-up goalkeeper, a full back and possibly a striker. <\/p>\n They would need to recruit a centre back if Harry Maguire<\/a> left, but all sides are hopeful that the 32-year-old\u2019s contract will be extended beyond the end of the season.<\/p>\n Maguire looked to be on his way out of United after Ten Hag stripped him of the captaincy in the summer of 2023, but the centre back stayed at the club, won back his place and is now in such good form that he has put himself in contention for an England recall. He won the most recent of his 64 caps in September 2024.<\/p>\n When asked if Maguire was playing some of the best football of his career, Michael Carrick, the interim head coach, said: \u201cThere\u2019s a case [to say that]. I think we\u2019ve seen that with Harry\u2019s performances of late, what he\u2019s brought to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Cost of sacking Amorim could reach \u00a316m<\/p>\n On Thursday it was revealed that United could end up paying almost \u00a316million in compensation to Ruben Amorim and his coaching staff after their dismissal last month.<\/p>\n Amorim was dismissed in January after falling out with Wilcox, the director of football<\/p>\n OLI SCARFF\/AFP<\/p>\n The accounts showed that a deduction of up to \u00a315.9million would be taken from the club\u2019s coffers in the second half of the season to account for Amorim\u2019s sacking and the removal of the five coaches that he brought with him from Sporting Lisbon when he took charge at Old Trafford in November 2024.<\/p>\n That is the maximum amount United could have to pay Amorim<\/a> and is dependent on certain factors, such as whether he gets a new job within a specific time frame.<\/p>\n The accounts showed that United have also paid Sporting Lisbon \u00a36.3million, which is what they owed the Portuguese club in compensation for hiring Amorim.<\/p>\n Considering that it cost United \u00a314.5million to dismiss Amorim\u2019s predecessor Erik ten Hag and his staff, plus former director of football Dan Ashworth, the club could end up spending more than \u00a330million on the sacking of two managers and a senior executive in a 15-month period.<\/p>\n United sacked Amorim last month after he had a blistering row with the present director of football, Jason Wilcox, who was unhappy with the team\u2019s direction of travel.<\/p>\n The club thought that United were in serious danger of failing to qualify for Europe, but since Carrick\u2019s appointment on a short-term contract, the team have gone on a six-match unbeaten run and now sit fourth in the Premier League<\/a> table, three points above Liverpool<\/a> and Chelsea, who are fifth and sixth position respectively.<\/p>\n United highest in world for net spend<\/p>\n United\u2019s net spending on transfers has been the highest in the world over the past five years, a Uefa financial report has revealed (Martyn Ziegler writes).<\/p>\n The level of spending underlines the scale of United\u2019s underperformance from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025. Uefa\u2019s club licensing benchmarking report says that United\u2019s<\/a> net spending on transfers over that five-year period was \u20ac794million (\u00a3692million), followed by Chelsea on \u00a3656million and Arsenal\u2019s \u00a3587million.<\/p>\n Chelsea<\/a> were by far the biggest gross spenders on transfers \u2014 they spent \u00a31.93billion, about 56 per cent more than the next highest spenders Manchester City<\/a> who splashed out \u00a31.23billion. Chelsea, however, made the most money from transfer income of \u00a3711million, followed by City on \u00a3666million.<\/p>\n Rasmus Hojlund, now on loan at Napoli, failed to make an impact after joining United for \u00a364million in July 2023<\/p>\n JAMES GILL \u2013 DANEHOUSE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n![\"Ruben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/29764f10-64ab-452e-a118-0b7bf4d3bc0b.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/828f6e6d-4e9b-455d-9c31-b8aa2239aab5.jpg\")
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