Man Utd to meet significant Premier League threshold without following Chelsea & Aston Villa transfer strategy

Manchester United have no concerns about failing to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for the 2023/24 season, ahead of tomorrow’s (Sunday) annual cut-off point.

Several clubs were forced to rush through deals prior to the 30 June end-of-year deadline, with Aston Villa, Everton and Chelsea agreeing to ‘swap transfers’ that capitalised on a PSR loophole in which youth-team graduates were sold to each other for inflated fees. Villa were also forced to agree to the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus in order to meet the league’s financial regulations, while Nottingham Forest and Leicester City are reportedly concerned about their position.

That isn’t an issue for United, though. The Red Devils will comply with the PSR framework without selling any key players in the last few weeks.

United’s business in January played a significant role in the club reducing any worries about their PSR outlook, with 17 departures in one form or another during the mid-season window. Indeed, so tight was the club’s financial picture that an inexpensive loan deal to bring in another striker couldn’t be agreed.

“It’s not a secret I wanted a striker,” Erik ten Hag said after the window had shut. “With the injury to [Anthony] Martial we don’t really have the back-up. But it wasn’t possible because we have to match the FFP rules.”

The league’s financial legislation has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years - a situation not helped by Villa, Everton and Chelsea’s convenient transfer arrangement. Manchester City have also challenged the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, while chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has publicly called for changes to spending limits.

Villa’s co-owner Nassef Sawiris also said in a recent interview that the rules ‘do not make sense’ and even threatened legal action against the league. That Everton and Forest were docked 12 points between them last season for failing to meet the parameters of the league’s PSR rules is another divisive issue among the 20 top-flight clubs.

As for United, while there are no concerns about the 30 June deadline, the club’s overall financial picture is less positive. The Red Devils will rely on player sales to top up a pretty meagre transfer budget of around £50m his summer. It’s unlikely that any incomings will be sanctioned for upwards of £50m and United are expected to target players nearing the end of their contracts.

Reducing the overall wage bill was also a decisive factor in allowing top earners Martial and Raphael Varane to depart this summer, while the club have opted to sell several youth-team players in recent windows, a policy that significantly helps with PSR calculations.