Man Utd transfer news: Ruben Amorim wishlist revealed as academy chief joins rival

Manchester United remain in the market for a number of exciting names but sales are a must and Jadon Sancho’s reported deal to join Napoli appears complicated by financial hurdles

Manchester United’s wishlist remains lengthy but the need to sell unwanted stars remains top priority if Ruben Amorim is to get the signings he desires.

And while talk of Bryan Mbeumo arriving from Brentford continues, Jadon Sancho’s potential exit from Old Trafford – after Chelsea paid £5m NOT to sign him permanently – remains complicated with Napoli interested but hurdles to climb regarding the financials.

Nick Cox – the academy chief – is also set to depart for Everton in the coming months, once a replacement is found, having overseen the development of dozens of familiar names in the past few years.

Here are the transfer tales you need to keep an eye on from in and around Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Man Utd chief who has earned the club £100m quits to join Premier League rivalsREAD MORE: Man Utd working on seven transfer deals as Ruben Amorim makes priority clear

State of play

Omar Berrada is confident Manchester United can return to the Premier League’s summit by 2028. A tall order, the chief executive admitted, but very much possible.

And if it is to become a reality this transfer window needs to see a shambolic squad that finished 15th in the season just completed receive some significant surgery. It has already begun following Matheus Cunha’s £62.5m arrival from Wolves, while Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike and Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo remain high on the wishlist.

Yet United have been clear for months that outgoings are a must to fund new arrivals and there is still no clarity on where Marcus Rashford, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and several others will be playing once the recruitment window closes on September 1. None of those are in head coach Ruben Amorim’s plans.

Here is the transfer state of play at Old Trafford as things stand.

Cox departure

United are poised to lose academy chief Nick Cox to Everton in a further blow. The Merseyside club are in advanced talks to appoint Cox as their new technical director with a deal expected to be completed imminently.

Cox has been in charge of United’s academy since 2019, a spell that has seen more than two dozen players including Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo graduate to first team debuts, while a host of young players developed under his watch have been sold on for an estimated £100m in profit.

Cox moved to United in 2016 after spells in the academies at Watford and Sheffield United. But he is now set to make the leap to first-team football and would oversee recruitment during an exciting period at Everton.

He will remain at United until a replacement is found and despite Cox’s amicable departure, a hectic summer is expected at Old Trafford on the recruitment front.

Sancho to Naples?

After Chelsea forked out £5m NOT to sign him, Dortmund have turned down the chance to sign Sancho for a third time, while Napoli have emerged as an option. Sky Sports Italy suggest that Sancho has verbally agreed a move to join the Serie A champions but there is still work to do to secure a deal.

It is suggested that the Italian giants are struggling to finance the €25m (£21.3m) asking price that the Red Devils have put on Sancho’s head, while they would also struggle to afford his £300k-per-week wage packet.

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