Manchester United will reluctantly consider selling home-grown players, including Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, as part of their efforts to comply with financial rules, according to a report.
Under the tutelage of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co, the Red Devils spent in excess of £200m on five new signings in the summer and were prepared to back former manager Erik ten Hag after ending the previous campaign on a high by winning the FA Cup.
However, Ten Hag was sacked at the end of October - just three months after signing a new contract - following a miserable start to the current campaign, and their fortunes are yet to turn around under new head coach Ruben Amorim, with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table - closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
It seems that Man United's decision to splash the cash last summer on players - who many will argue have failed to deliver both individually and collectively - has come back to bite them, as they now have a battle on their hands to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.
Amorim is keen to strengthen his squad both in January and next summer, but a recent report claims that Man United have 'no budget' this month and will be unable to sign new players unless there are some significant outgoings.
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Man United to consider offers for Mainoo, Garnacho and more?
In a bid to balance their books and generate funds for future transfers, multiple reports, including The Athletic, claim that Man United will reluctantly consider selling home-grown players such as Mainoo and Garnacho.
The report adds that the Red Devils are not actively looking to sanction the departure of either academy star, but an exit cannot be discounted if suitable offers arrive, given the reality of the club's financial situation.
Both Mainoo and Garnacho are among those who, if sold, would represent pure accounting profit as they both came through Man United's academy.
The Red Devils duo were once considered 'untouchable', but the possibility of either player - or both - leaving in the near future has now increased, while The Guardian claims that Rasmus Hojlund may also be at risk of being offloaded.
In addition, credible bids for last summer's signings Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee - the latter of whom has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus - will also be countenanced.
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Mainoo, Garnacho 'unlikely to be short of suitors'
Like Mainoo and Garnacho, fellow academy graduate Marcus Rashford came through Man United's academy and a potential sale of the attacker would also represent pure profit.
While the Red Devils would ideally like to keep hold of Mainoo and Garnacho, Rashford's situation is different as the 20-time English champions are said to be 'consciously working on exit solutions' for the Englishman.
Rashford admitted last month that he is ready for a 'new challenge' and has subsequently been linked with a host of clubs, most recently Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and AC Milan.
It is thought that both Mainoo and Garnacho, meanwhile, are unlikely to be short of suitors; the Daily Mail reports that Chelsea are leading the race for the former, while as many as five European giants are allegedly interested in the latter, who is valued at around £70m.
Mainoo is under contract at Old Trafford until June 2027, but talks over an extension are said to have hit a stumbling block, while Garnacho's deal expires in the summer of 2028.
Oliver Thomas
