OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER could sell four Manchester United stars including Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard to raise funds for a transfer splurge, according to reports.
It is thought the Red Devils boss will only be given an £80million warchest this summer.
He was handed around £75m last season to bring in Donny van de Beek, Alex Telles, Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo – plus Edinson Cavani on a free.
And according to the Metro, he hopes to raise a further £60m this time around through player sales.
That could see Mata, Lingard, Phil Jones and Diogo Dalot leave Old Trafford.
Lingard, 28, is impressing on loan at West Ham after falling out of favour under Solskjaer.
The Hammers wanted to include a £14m option to buy the midfielder at the end of his loan – but United rejected that offer and are hopeful of getting close to their £20m valuation.
They want a similar fee for Dalot.
United paid £18m for the full-back, 21, in 2018 but he struggled to make his mark before joining AC Milan on loan this season.
Giving him regular football – he has played 22 times this season – was thought to increase his value and now United are confident they can make a small profit on the Portuguese youth international.
CASINO SIGN UP OFFER: CLAIM UP TO £800 IN CASINO BONUS CASH
Mata, 32, is out of contract in the summer but United have a 12-month extension clause they may look to trigger and then sell.
But with the Spaniard one of the top earners at Old Trafford, he will struggle to get a similar contract elsewhere, especially if the buying club need to stump up a transfer fee.
Italian trio Roma, Inter Milan and Juventus have all shown interest in the past.
Finally, Jones’ time at Old Trafford appears to be up.
The injury-prone 29-year-old has not featured since January 2020 and, despite Solskjaer being an admirer, is very much surplus to requirement.
United will ask for around £10m for the 27-cap England defender with Newcastle, Burnley and West Ham all reportedly keen.
Solskjaer has already identified some key areas he wants to strengthen this summer.
A centre-back to partner Harry Maguire is a top priority with the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Nikola Milenkovic and Ben White all targeted.
After missing out on Jadon Sancho a year ago, a right-winger remains on the wishlist, as does a holding midfielder.
And depending on Cavani’s future, a new centre-forward could also be needed with Erling Haaland the most high-profile option.
So having closer to £140m rather than just £80m would clearly give the Norwegian more purchasing power to bring in the targets he wants.
