Football London

Many clubs across the Premier League have taken advantage of the 'pure profit' nature of selling players to help with the profit and sustainability regulations but Tottenham are not in that position.

Selling academy products can be a goldmine for football clubs because such players have very low amortised values as little to no transfer fee was paid out for them to begin with. What they are then sold for can be counted as almost 'pure profit' in the accounts which goes towards balancing out transfer spend.

There have been plenty of examples of academy players sold on for big amounts in recent years to prevent clubs falling foul of PSR and the risk of major financial or points penalties.

The main example of Tottenham doing so came with the sale of Harry Kane two years ago to Bayern Munich for almost £100million in total. In that same summer Spurs chairman Daniel Levy sanctioned the sales of Harry Winks for £10million to Leicester and then the following year took more than £20million for the sale of Oliver Skipp to the Foxes.

Skipp, however, was the last remaining outfield club-trained player at the club - an important thing when it comes to registering a squad for European competition. Such players need to have been on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.

If you do not have four such seniors players then spaces must be left in your 25-man squad. Currently Tottenham only have goalkeeper Brandon Austin who qualifies for that so their Champions League squad for this coming season can only contain a maximum of 22 players, unless they were to bring back a former academy product such as those mentioned above or others like Kyle Walker-Peters or Dennis Cirkin.

That reason alone makes it unlikely for Spurs to take advantage currently of the 'pure profit' angle to sell their academy players for major fees unless they are sure they will not progress to the first team. Otherwise this problematic scenario will continue long into the future, apart from those young players they have signed at 18 eventually becoming club-trained years down the line.

Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray for example will be able to be registered on the youth B list from the 2026/27 season to ensure they do not need to be registered in the main European squad before eventually becoming club-trained.

It's also worth pointing out of course that Tottenham's high revenue and deductables such as their stadium depreciation makes it difficult for them to breach PSR rules in the first place anyway.

Football finance expert Swiss Ramble estimated that Spurs had around £93million per year of allowable deductions when it came to PSR compliance, with that figure made up of depreciation of £70million, £15million on youth development and £3million each on the women’s team and the community.

Using those allowable deductions, Spurs came out as net positive for PSR in 2021/22 at £32million, negative for 2022/23 at £2million given the heavy £95million pre-tax loss, and net positive for 2023/24 at £66million. That £96million sum, added on top of the £105million that as already allowed, meant that the club had some £201million in PSR headroom before having to be concerned about any kind of Premier League punishment. That was one of the healthiest PSR positions in the Premier League.

Next season’s position will likely see less wiggle room, but Tottenham are unlikely to be concerned about compliance given the breathing space they have already created over the years.

Manchester United have upped their bid to around £60 million for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.

Ruben Amorim, United's head coach, is on a mission to revamp his side following the club's most dismal top-flight season in 51 years, further marred by a crushing defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final.

United have already secured Matheus Cunha from Wolves in a deal worth £62.5m and are looking to strengthen their attack even more before pre-season kicks off on July 7.

After making initial contact with Brentford about Mbeumo earlier this month and seeing a bid of £45m plus £10m in add-ons turned down, it's understood they've now tabled an offer exceeding £60m.

Spurs, currently under the management of Mbeumo's former Bees boss Thomas Frank, are also keen on the Cameroon international.

The 25 year-old's contract at Brentford runs out next summer, but there's an option to extend it by another year.

Frank's move to Spurs has put a new dimension on United's move for Mbeumo, which pending a fee being agreed was expected to be rather straightforward given the player's desire to move to Old Trafford.

Brentford, though, can afford to hold out for their desired asking price and even Frank said himelf before moving to Spurs that Mbeumo would not come cheap to any club wishing to sign him.

"It is clear that if he is to be sold, it must be for a nice, nice amount," Frank said. "It is a lot. Mucho. Really a lot.

"Then it is clear that it is impossible to replace him one for one. It cannot be done. "There is a reason why he costs x number of million pounds, and we do not have x number of million pounds to buy for.

"I would say that I would be surprised if a lot of big clubs don’t look at him. "I would be surprised with what he has to offer.

“How many wingers score 20 goals for a mid-table club? And then with seven assists plus his work ethic. "And his character. All these things mean that he has a lot, so he is a good player."

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their second signing of the summer transfer window after agreeing a deal to sign Kawasaki Frontale centre-back Kota Takai.

football.london understands that Spurs have agreed a £5million deal with the Japanese club and Takai is expected to be part of Thomas Frank's first-team squad.

The 20-year-old is set to join Mathys Tel through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer after the forward's loan move was made permanent.

Here, football.london brings you a lowdown of Spurs' new centre-back including a tasty encounter with Cristiano Ronaldo...

Who is Kota Takai?

Born in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Takai is a 20-year-old central defender who has already made a name for himself in Japan. After playing his youth football for River FC, the 2004-born defender was signed by Kawasaki Frontale.

Having developed through their academy, he made his senior debut in an 8-0 win over Guangzhou in April 2022. The 2022/23 season was his breakthrough campaign during which he featured 21 times before scoring his first goal for the club in May 2024.

After reaching the 2024 Olympic Games quarter-final with Japan, the defender was handed his fully-fledged national team debut in September 2024 when he replaced Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Ko Itakura in a 7-0 win against China.

In the recent international break, he played 21 minutes in a narrow defeat to Australia and the full 90 against Indonesia, a game they won 6-0. Takai spent this summer representing his country at Under-23 level at the AFC Asian Cup and helped them win the tournament thanks to a 1-0 win over Uzbekistan in the final.

In April, Takai showcased his quality against Ronaldo when Frontale faced Al Nassr in the semi-final of the AFC Champions League Elite. The Japanese team won 3-2 against Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and co with Takai earning plenty of plaudits.

"Honestly, we were losing individually as a team, but I think we won today because of our organised fighting style, which is typical of Japan," he claimed, despite admitting he wasn't pleased with his own performance. "I'm not satisfied with my play today, so I hope I can play in a way that will save the team in the final."

How will he fit into Spurs?

Spurs fans will know that Takai isn't the first young, unknown gem picked up by Spurs. The north Londoners have snapped up Luka Vuskovic, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, Min-hyeok Yang, Antonin Kinsky, Ashley Phillips and Alejo Veliz in recent years.

Vuskovic has been out on loan in both Poland and Belgium since joining the club but can now officially make the move from Hajduk Split now he is 18.

New head coach Frank arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a number of solid centre-back options with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven expected to be his first-choice, despite the former being linked with a move away.

Danso's permanent arrival joins Radu Dragusin, although the Romanian is currently nursing an ACL injury picked up in February. Ben Davies and Gray have been used as makeshift centre-backs but it's unclear how Frank will utilise them going forward.

Tottenham have agreed a £5million deal for 20-year-old Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale.

football.london understands the young defender is expected to be part of Thomas Frank's first team squad for the coming season and will leave Kawasaki midway through their J.League campaign to join up with the Dane's pre-season preparations, which begin in just over a fortnight.

Takai, who will turn 21 in September, has played 19 times this season in the Japanese league and another nine in the AFC Champions League, scoring twice. Despite his age, the young defender has also captained the side once, in their 3-3 draw at home against Yokohama in April.

The centre-back was identified by Spurs technical director Johan Lange and his staff as being able to step into the Premier League, following in the footsteps of other young signings at the club in recent years such as Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie, with the signing given the green light by Frank.

The current expectation is that Takai, who has now made four senior international appearance for Japan, will remain with the squad rather than be loaned out, but he will be fully assessed by Frank and his coaching staff up close in training when he arrives at the club. However, his experience with 78 senior club matches at his age and four international ones is seen as similar, and advanced on the international stage, to the likes of Bergvall, Sarr, Udogie and Archie Gray as being able to make the step up.

Takai will arrive in the same summer as teenager Luka Vuskovic. The Croatian centre-back has been out on loan in both Poland and Belgium and now he has turned he can officially make the move from Hajduk Split.

The Japan international will become the second signing of the Frank era after Mathys Tel's loan move from Bayern Munich was made permanent. The Frenchman will cost Spurs £29.8million (€35million), plus a potential further £4.2million (€5million) in add-ons. Tottenham to managed to knock around £15million off the original £45million option to buy the player at the end of his £8.5million loan spell.

Tottenham have confirmed just one new signing in the summer transfer window thus far, with it clear plenty more are needed. Spurs are fresh off a disastrous domestic season but it will be remembered for their historic Europa League triumph which broke a 17-year trophy drought.

The arrival of Thomas Frank as Ange Postecoglou's replacement has kick-started some movement in the trading period with Mathys Tel joining on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich. While the manager situation was resolved, negotiations for the Frenchman were ongoing and an agreement was eventually struck at £30million.

Alongside a talented young attacker coming into the club, marquee additions out wide, in midfield and potentially in defence will be needed.

Exits are also likely as Spurs look to raise funds from a number of players on the fringes of the first team. With a number of decisions facing Frank, on both incomings and outgoings, football.london has had a go at making some of the big calls.

Incomings

Even though he was the club's top scorer last season and scored the winner against Manchester United, an improvement on Brennan Johnson or at least a different option to the Wales international is needed.

Bryan Mbeumo of Frank's former club Brentford would be the dream addition and though he is favouring a move to Manchester United, Spurs are still in the race. £70million is his asking price and with Champions League prize money secured, Tottenham are in a much stronger financial position than United.

Perhaps the only position more in need of an addition is central midfield with a natural No.6 the clear requirement. Jonny Cardoso was the obvious option but he is set to join Atletico Madrid from Real Betis.

Alternatives are few and far between as Spurs need someone with a very specific skillset but there is a bargain option available that also has Premier League experience in Joao Palhinha. Bayern are open to letting him go for just £29million (€35m) with the Portugal international thus far enduring a nightmare spell in Germany.

For two seasons, he was very impressive at Fulham and while he may be tasked with different responsibilities in north London, at that price and with his track record, it is absolutely a deal worth pursuing.

An addition at full-back for depth is also important with Kyle Walker-Peters the perfect signing. His Southampton contract expires imminently and if he does join, he will be classed as club-trained with Tottenham needing more of them for their upcoming campaign.

Outgoings

Several Tottenham stars should be available for transfer this summer and a few others may be making the decision to leave. Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies and Richarlison fit into the former category with all three struggling for regular minutes and thus consistency.

The Lilywhites would also be able to take in some decent funds from the trio's departure with the one-year contract option for Davies perhaps taken up so a fee can be obtained from him leaving.

Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min are the big names that could exit N17 with the club captain having one year remaining on his contract. Having finally won a trophy representing Spurs for the best part of a decade, now is the perfect time to move on with it also allowing Spurs to take in a fee.

As for Romero, Spurs have made it clear that only a significant offer will see them consider a departure and therefore he stays before then departing next summer as he enters the final 12 months of his contract. That allows time for Luka Vuskovic and Kevin Danso to be bedded in further.

Thomas Frank and Johan Lange are looking to take Tottenham to new heights and the man who hired them two decades ago believes they are both very different characters driven by the same need to succeed.

Frank was appointed this month as the man to replace Ange Postecoglou as Spurs head coach in the wake of the club winning the Europa League. One of those keen to appoint the Dane was his compatriot Lange, who had wanted to do the same at Aston Villa a few years back only for Steven Gerrard to get the job at that point.

Frank and Lange go way back to their time at Lyngby where the former was a youth coach between 2006 and 2008 and the latter was also involved with the reserves for the club located in the suburbs of Copenhagen. The duo used to share a small office together back then so got to know each other very well.

The man who hired them both, Birger Jorgensen, has previously spoken about how different the two men who will now steer the Spurs ship are.

"Thomas is Thomas, he walks the talk. He has always been the same and will always be the same," he said in an interview with Sky Sports back in 2021. "He is very hard-working and always in a good mood. Johan is the opposite of Thomas, he keeps his cards close to his chest. But he is a fantastic guy, very smart."

He added: "I spotted them, I hired them, I worked with them. But they have done it themselves. They have taken their chance. We are just happy to have been a part of their education.

"Lyngby is just an ordinary football club but we have a special environment. We are built on curious coaching. You can experiment here. Of course, we try to win our games and be champions. But we are always collecting good people, hard-working people.

"We all have a common thing, we all believe in ourselves, we all know where we are coming from and none of us think we are something we are not. That is what has made us successful, good people who are working hard, being themselves."

On that shared office all those years ago, Jorgensen said it was full of "good people, good coaches, a good environment" and he believes that happiness and having a release through your social life plays a part in successful football journeys. Frank has admitted himself that he ensures he maintains his social life and gets away from football as much as possible when the time is right.

"A lot of clubs believe only in serious people but you need a bit of yourself, a bit of a social life," said Jorgensen. "A football club is about teamwork, otherwise it cannot exist. That is why so many former Lyngby coaches are so successful. We are happy about it and want it to continue."

Tottenham Hotspur are seeking £11m from the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned INEOS firm after the company ended its sponsorship agreement back in December 2024.

Global petrochemicals giant INEOS had been the automotive partner of Spurs since 2022, inking a multi-year deal worth tens of millions, but opted to end their association with the club seven months ago, one of a number of sponsorship deals that they had looked to extricate themselves from, including sponsorship of the New Zealand Rugby All Blacks.

INEOS Automotive, the side of the business that had the deal with Spurs, have since seen legal action from Spurs come their way, with the club taking the matter to the London Commercial Court as they seek to recover what they believe to be monies owed from the deal.

INEOS Automotive have argued that the option to terminate their deal three years into a five-year agreement was within their right.

In a statement to Sky Sports earlier this month, an INEOS spokesperson said: “INEOS Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, taking on a partnership agreement that INEOS Group had in place with the club since 2020.

"We have a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right."

According to a report in renowned legal publication The Lawyer, Spurs are seeking as much as £11m, a figure football.london understands to be correct, from INEOS Automotive in relation to the early exit from the agreement.

Football.london reached out to Spurs for comment but were told the club do not comment on live legal matters.

In March, INEOS reached an agreement with New Zealand Rugby after they were threatened with legal action for a similar issue of leaving a partnership early.

On that occasion a settlement was reached, and there remains the possibility that both sides may well find some common ground in the coming days on the matter that is satisfactory to both sides.

Ratcliffe, of course, has a minority stake of 27.1% in Spurs’ Premier League rivals Manchester United, with the deal he struck with the Glazer family back in December of 2023 handing him oversight over football strategy at Old Trafford, as well as the plans to create a new 100,000 seater stadium for a side that has struggled competitively in recent years.

Tottenham Hotspur's chief football officer Scott Munn has been placed on gardening leave, football.london understands.

The 51-year-old Australian joined Tottenham less than two years ago after some initial delays in his announced move from the City Football Group and was a key ally of Ange Postecoglou during his time at the club. However, when the head coach was sacked this month following the Europa League win in Bilbao, along with the arrival of a new chief executive officer in Vinai Venkatesham, Munn's time at the club looked to be heading towards its close.

football.london understands that while no official announcement has been made about him yet, Munn has now been placed on gardening leave by the north London club as the changes continue to take place at the top at Spurs.

Along with Venkatesham's arrival, so Tottenham appointed a new head coach in Thomas Frank and it was announced that the club's executive director Donna-Maria Cullen, a long-time advisor to Daniel Levy, would be stepping down from the board and would be leaving the club this summer.

Former managing director of football Fabio Paratici is expected by staff within the club to return at some point this year. The Italian currently remains in a consultancy role with Spurs with a contract that lasts until the end of August and he is nearing the end of his ban from specific football activities. Paratici does remain part of a civil trial in Italy with others who used to be in the Juventus hierarchy over investigations into what took place at the Serie A club during his time there.

When Munn joined Tottenham back in 2023 in the newly-created chief football officer role, Levy said: "Scott has a unique and broad experience of running sporting organisations at the highest level and will take responsibility for the leadership and management of our football activities to instil best practice both on and off the pitch."

Now new head coach Frank will deal with Venkatesham, technical director Johan Lange and Levy. The Dane spoke last week about the club's current hierarchy.

"They've done a very, very good process. I would say Daniel Levy and Vinai and Johan Lange. I've had very good conversations and meetings with them, where we discussed everything in depth, details about club structure, processes, and of course I came with my view on things and how I saw it and my ideas and the way I want to do things and how I try to build a team and the club, and of course it's not, it's not just me," he said.

"I think it's very important to say, yes, the head coach is an important person, but if I don't have good people around me, it's impossible. You can't do anything alone in my opinion. If you want to do something quick, you can go alone, if you want to do something big or achieve something big, you go together. So it's definitely a thing about doing things together. Me, staff and players.

"I think the alignment is key from top to bottom, and of course it starts from Daniel and Vinai and Johan and me, and the more the four of us can be aligned, just like a unit and like unbreakable unit, the stronger we will be, and there will be ups and downs. I think right now it's a fairy tale. Everyone is happy. The sun is shining. It's fantastic, but we haven't played one game yet.

"Hopefully we win a lot. We'll work very hard every single day to make sure we create as many magic moments for the fans, and put them together and hopefully at the end of the season there will be a very good season, but the alignment in terms of structure, processes, transfers, squad, playing style, culture, all that is is key."

Cristian Romero's future at Tottenham is set to be the subject of plenty of speculation this summer and the club will need to have a succession plan in case the Argentine does leave.

The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to La Liga after admitting a desire to play in Spain before his career ends and Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simone has made no secret of wanting to sign Romero with his public statements about the World Cup-winning centre-back.

With two years left on his contract, the Argentine is in an awkward position where Spurs have to make a decision on his future but can also ask for a huge fee still for a player Lionel Messi called the best defender in the world, and that price tag could be the sticking point for many clubs like Atletico.

Romero struggled with injuries last season, mainly with his foot, and took part in only 18 Premier League games. However, he starred in the Europa League and was named player of the tournament and player of the match in the final in Bilbao.

It remains to be seen whether any team gives Tottenham something to think about with a serious offer when it comes to the two-time Copa America winner, but if they did then new head coach Thomas Frank will need to think about who comes in for Romero.

Here are five potential candidates to step into Romero's considerable boots.

Marc Guehi

The most obvious candidate in the transfer market would be Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, who Spurs have admired for a long time and made an approach for late in the January transfer window. That was rebuffed by the Eagles, who had no real time to get in a replacement for the England international at that point.

Now Guehi has just a year remaining on his contract so Palace will have to decide if this is the summer in which he finally departs or risk losing the 24-year-old for nothing. The problem for Spurs is that while they can offer Champions League football next season, all the big clubs would love to have the England centre-back and Liverpool and Arsenal are both very keen.

If clubs can agree a fee then Guehi is expected to make his decision based on the amount of game time he will get. If Romero were to leave then Spurs would be able to offer plenty of that and probably plenty regardless if he remained, but due to the number of centre-backs at Tottenham at the moment, they might not make a move until the exits are clear and by then Guehi, who can play anywhere across a back three or central pairing, could be gone.

Kevin Danso

Spurs would sign another centre-back if Romero departs regardless, but Kevin Danso could also push his claims under Frank to become the new leader of the backline.

The Austrian has a strong personality and showed plenty of promising moments in his first four months of the season despite being thrown straight into a difficult situation. The 26-year-old also showed some wasteful moments with the ball, but will likely have less pressure on him to play some of the passes or make the dribbles that Ange Postecoglou's system called for.

Danso, who played an important late role in the Europa League final in Bilbao, is a strong character and leader and is already popular in the Spurs dressing room. He can fit into a back three as well, and he and Frank are likely to hit it off early on due to their similar mentalities, which could put him in a good position to take advantage if Romero departs.

Nathan Collins

Frank might look back to someone he trusts at Brentford and the most Tottenham-type signing among the centre-backs is probably Nathan Collins. The Republic of Ireland international, who only turned 24 under two months ago, came on leaps and bounds under Frank and became a key man in his defence.

The Dane said midway through last season of Collins, who played on the right of his central defensive pairing: "He got that injury [the previous season] and got that setback. He struggled to get back up to pace and made some mistakes, which didn't help his confidence. At the end of last season, he was more or less back to the good start he had.

"Now he has more consistency and his composure on the ball is good. He can find passes in the pockets, the diagonals and the balls in behind. He is very good. This year, he has made some crucial blocks, defending the goal and the box very well. He has just got more consistency in the way he plays.

"Another important thing is the concentration. I think his concentration levels have gone up and the best players in the world have got the ability to concentrate for 90 minutes."

The problem for Spurs is that Collins has a long contract until 2029 and would not come cheaply. However, if they got big money for Romero then the young Irishman would be able to come in and slot straight into Frank's system after some big displays for the Dane across the last campaign. He would be less of a risk than many foreign signings they might look at in the market.

Luka Vuskovic or Ashley Phillips

There could also be a breakout star in defence under Frank with the new head coach always looking to give young players a chance after his formative years as a coach in the Danish international youth set-up.

The Dane will not have made any decisions yet over the young players as he will want to take a close look at a number of them during pre-season to decide who is ready for his team and which ones must head off on loan again or out of the door permanently.

Luka Vuskovic will finally arrive at Tottenham after two loan spells before being able to join officially after his 18th birthday. The teenager has been a star in Belgium with Westerlo and Spurs beat plenty of Europe's biggest sides to land the Croatian starlet, no doubt with the promise of first team minutes if he impresses.

That will be on Vuskovic this summer but he's certainly got heaps of potential and could be given until at least January to settle in. Spurs' pesky club-trained issues might make it difficult to name the teenager in the Champions League squad, depending on the future of Romero and Ben Davies, but he could get game time in the Carabao Cup to begin with.

The same goes for Ashley Phillips, who could not get a look-in under Postecoglou but has impressed on both his loans to Plymouth and Stoke in the past couple of seasons. Frank might be impressed this summer by the young defender, who turns 20 on Thursday, and that could change what comes next for him. The next move for Alfie Dorrington must also be decided as well after he became a Scottish Cup winner with Aberdeen.

Jarrad Branthwaite

Another big money potential arrival would be Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite with the centre-back, who turns 23 on Friday, linked with Tottenham in recent weeks.

The Toffees defender, who has made one England appearance, has been the subject of interest from Manchester United in the past with a huge price tag on his head because he still has two years left on his deal with an option for a further 12 months.

The other issue for Spurs is that Branthwaite would not be a straight Romero replacement in terms of where he would play on the pitch, because like Micky van de Ven, he is a left-footed centre-back who operates on that side of the defence.

He and the Dutchman would likely be an awkward pairing so while we're adding him as a potential option to replace Romero in the squad, he would not likely replace him in the team.

Tottenham have a number of reasons to be confident they can win the transfer battle for Bryan Mbeumo despite his preference being to join Manchester United.

With the manager situation uncertain for a number of weeks, Spurs may have lost out on certain targets while other Premier League clubs were also able to put in significant groundwork.

Rayan Cherki was one player linked with a move to north London, but he ended up joining Manchester City from Lyon.

It was also made clear that Mbeumo was keen on a switch to Old Trafford from Brentford, snubbing Spurs and Newcastle United in the process. The decision by Tottenham to replace Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank, who has coached Mbeumo for the last few years, may have changed things though.

In the meantime, Bayern and Spurs met a compromise for Mathys Tel with the French attacker joining on a permanent basis for £30 million.

Despite bringing in a winger, the Lilywhites are still very much interested in Mbeumo.

Prior to the first summer window deadline, Ruben Amorim's side saw a bid rejected with another verbal offer made during negotiations knocked back. Brentford are holding out for £70m to sell.

In comparison to United, Tottenham are much more likely to meet that figure following on from winning the Europa League and thus qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. have also already sanctioned a big transfer with Matheus Cunha joining from Wolves in a £62.5m deal.

Though that was an early summer deal, there was some delay as United wanted to pay for his services over five years but they ultimately backed down and met Wolves' terms of three instalments over two seasons.

United trying to do that in the first place suggests that financially they are not in that strong of a position. The fact they also accepted what Wolves wanted means that some funds have already been committed elsewhere.

Spurs, and Frank in particular, now arguably face a race against time to convince Mbeumo of a move to north London. That is because later in the trading period United are likely to have more money available to them having sanctioned sales.

Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford are all free to leave the club this summer with it entirely possible anywhere in the region of £150m is obtained. That would certainly give United the finances needed for Mbeumo.