Ignoring doesn't help, United looks to Saudi Arabia for a surprise

Manchester United might have missed the boat when it comes to the Saudi riches. Only Alex Telles swapped Old Trafford for the Gulf state during a summer transfer window in which the Saudi Pro League set out their stall and swelled the coffers of clubs in Europe. At a time when financial rules are starting to bite and selling players is getting more difficult, the sight of the SPL throwing the cash about was welcomed, especially in the Premier League. Manchester City and Chelsea did pretty well out of the league's ambition.

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While City saw Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez head east, Chelsea sold Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, raising money to offset their own financial concerns after a reckless spending spree under Todd Boehly. In total, the Saudi Pro League spent £784million in the summer, of which only £4million went to United at a time when Erik ten Hag was desperate to trim his squad. This month, the discourse has been dominated by players leaving Saudi Arabia. Jordan Henderson's admission that he couldn't settle is a blow for the league and rumours continue to swirl that Karim Benzema wants out as well.

If the SPL could just about accept Henderson leaving, seeing Benzema push for a departure would be a grievous blow. It would surely make other players think twice before taking the Public Investment Fund (PIF) cash. Then there is the fact that most of the SPL squads have now hit their limit when it comes to foreign players. Squads are full and departures would be required before most return to ambitious levels of recruitment. That makes it difficult for any clubs looking to overload players to lure in buyers from Saudi Arabia. United's current football director John Murtough visited the country last month to strengthen relations in the area.

Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane and Casemiro are the names most regularly linked with a move to the country. But United are under no real pressure with the first two, given they are out of contract this summer, so could be allowed to leave anyway. Varane's return to the team and his return to form must make that a little more unclear at present. Casemiro's case is different. He turns 32 in February and was having a disappointing season before suffering an injury in November. He also has years left on his contract. If his form shows no signs of picking up in the second half of the campaign then United might be desperately searching for a buyer for their highest earner in the squad.

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The possible transfer

But the reality is United will be listening to offers for a lot of players. Their early exit from Europe has further hindered their compliance with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules and failure to return to the Champions League will have an impact on this summer's transfer budget. They might have to sell to buy. There are some players that Erik ten Hag will refuse to lose, but it's also the case that United can listen to offers for many of this squad and under INEOS, they are likely to have a new recruitment structure in place by the start of the summer window.