The summer transfer window is shaping up to be a crucial one for United, who have endured a very underwhelming and disappointing campaign.

The Red Devils are set to miss out on Champions League football and are firmly in the midst of a tough battle to finish within the Europa League places. At the moment, the FA Cup represents the side’s only chance of lifting some form of silverware and somewhat restoring a bit of the pride that has already been lost.

While most of the focus will undoubtedly be on incoming and new faces as Ratcliffe and INEOS seek to bolster the squad, outgoings are equally important. A number of players on United’s payroll continue to be linked with exits.

According to Spanish publication Nacional via Football365, there are four players in particular that Ratcliffe wants to get rid of and has already set the wheels in motion to facilitate their respective departures – Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia.

It’s understood that Barcelona have “received the call” from the Oldham-born billionaire, who has expressed a desire to part ways with Casemiro, Varane, Eriksen and Malacia.

Ratcliffe spoke to Barca chief Deco and gave the Catalan giants “the opportunity to sign all of them” for a”reasonable price.”

United forked out a combined £124m to secure the services of Varane, Casemiro, Malacia and Eriksen. The latter three were brought in by Ten Hag, with Varane the only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recruit between them.

The report notes that the new United co-owner wants to make room on the wage bill and views the sale of the four players as a way to achieve this objective.

It however seems difficult for the Blaugrana to sign any of the four United stars, especially Varane and Casemiro, who have close ties to arch-rivals Real Madrid. The pair enjoyed an extremely successful spell at the Santiago Bernabeu before eventually making the switch to England.

It’s easy to see why United could be open to a parting of ways with Casemiro, Varane, Eriksen and Malacia.

Casemiro has demonstrated a sharp decline in performances this season and appears to have lost a yard or two of space. For weeks now, he has been a liability to the team and his continued selection in Ten Hag’s starting XI remains puzzling. The Brazilian and Varane represent two of United’s highest earners and at 32 and 30 respectively, it doesn’t make much sense to keep them around any longer. Both have also proven to be quite injury-prone.

Eriksen on the other hand lost his place in the team following the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo. The Dane has made no secret of his displeasure with his reduced playing time and with Mason Mount also lurking in the background and United plotting the addition of more midfielders, his opportunities are likely to become even more limited. Like Casemiro and Varane, he is also on the wrong end of his career.

Meanwhile, there are question marks over Malacia and his fitness. The Netherlands international hasn’t played even a single minute of competitive action this term due to injuries. His recovery has been hit by multiple setbacks and it’s unclear whether he’ll be back to top shape as soon as required. United are also thought to be in the market for a new,  younger left-back.

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They also let in the second-most goals in this year’s Champions League group stages enroute to an embarrassing last-place finish in a relatively easy group.

Apart from disappointing displays, the defence has also been the worst-affected due to injury with four out of five senior centre-backs currently sidelined with manager Erik ten Hag forced to start academy graduate Willy Kambwala in back-to-back games alongside Harry Maguire.

The futures of multiple defenders are up in the air as new co-owners INEOS mull over a defensive overhaul after such a poor season for the club with the 20-time English league champions staring down the barrel at their worst-ever league finish.

Defensive overhaul

The most high-profile departure will be that of Raphael Varane, whose contract with the club ends in June instead of 2025 as previously advertised.

The Frenchman, who had earlier claimed he was open to retiring at Old Trafford, was disappointed to see the club not trigger the one-year extension option in his current deal.

There were talks of a new deal on reduced wages but as recently relayed by The Peoples Person, Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to clear the wage bill and the former Real Madrid superstar is the club’s highest earner and the British billionaire wants to move him on.

When fit and firing, there are hardly any better defenders inside the box than the World Cup winner but without Lisandro Martinez, and with the manager switching between playing him on the right and the left, the three-time Champions League winner has failed to exude the same level of authority as he would have liked.

With his recent injury record not looking too bright and considering his advancing years, Saudi Arabia was considered the 30-year-old’s most likely next destination.

Former England international Glen Johnson feels the former France international can still do a job in the English top-flight and tipped the United centre-back to complete a sensational move to fierce rivals Chelsea.

The Blues have also endured a difficult campaign, currently languishing in ninth and with the youngest squad in the division, they are in need of experienced winners.

If Thiago Silva leaves, a huge void would be created and a free move for Varane actually makes sense and his injury record would not be as concerning.

“Good players like that don’t come around often and they certainly come around less often on a free transfer,” the former Chelsea and Liverpool star was quoted as saying by The Mirror.

Varane to Chelsea?

“I know he’s not the Varane he was three or four years ago but he’s still a bloody good player. Yes, he’s had his injury problems but that’s what outweighs the transfer fee – if you’re buying him on a free and he’s only playing 40% of the games, then that’s still a good deal to do.

“As we saw with Thiago Silva, those sort of players who have done everything, played for top teams and clubs, they get the attention of the dressing room and they’re the big names that the younger players want to look up to and obviously they’re great to have around.

“If you have got a chance with Varane on a free transfer and he’s only going to play 50% of the games, I still think it’s a good deal.”

Varane has made 93 appearances for the Red Devils since his €40 million move three years ago, with 30 of them coming this season.

United would have little power to stop the deal from occurring if Varane has his heart set on the move. It will be interesting to see what happens with the defender this summer.

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United have confirmed via their website that Varane is set to be ruled out of competitive action for the next few weeks with a muscle injury picked up during the club’s game vs. Chelsea last week.

The 20-time English champions have relayed about Varane, “The French World Cup winner is aiming to be back in action before the end of the season in May.”

The Red Devils have also stated that Evans will miss Saturday’s clash against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

United explain that like Varane, Evans is recovering from a muscle issue although his setback is not thought to be as serious or long-term compared to his teammate.

The veteran defender is likely to make his return to action just in time for the Red Devils’ FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley against Coventry City.

Both Varane and Evans missed United’s match vs. Liverpool last weekend. In their absence, Erik ten Hag was forced to deploy a centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Carrington academy graduate Willy Kambwala.

Varane and Evans both picked up their muscle injuries in the heartbreaking late defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

The former France international was taken off at half-time. He seemed to be in pain and unable to continue, prompting his partner at Stamford Bridge, Maguire, to signal to the bench for him to be removed.

Evans was brought in for Maguire but the 36-year-old only managed 20 minutes before he was also forced out of proceedings.

Evans and Maguire join Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof on the treatment table, leaving Ten Hag and his coaching staff to grapple with an injury crisis in the defensive department.

It seems that in the near future, Ten Hag will have no choice but to carry on with Maguire and Kambwala – the only fit and available central defenders available to him for selection.

Varane and Evans have amassed 30 and 25 appearances respectively for United across all competitions this term.

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The Frenchman excelled and is set to earn a new deal to ward off interest from Serie A giants Napoli but the futures of several others remain up in the air.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is plotting a summer clearout to raise capital for reinforcements and there is a chance of multiple exits from defence.

Performances this season have been less than ideal with the 20-time English league champions conceding three or more goals 13 times this season.

More than one defender could leave

Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans both got injured in the game against Chelsea and their contracts end in June with INEOS looking at letting the Frenchman leave to free up space on the wage bill.

What will happen with the 36-year-old remains to be seen but the manager reportedly is quite impressed with what the Northern Irishman has offered and is keen on holding on to him for another year.

Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are also on the sidelines and while the club want to keep both, the Swede has been linked with several other clubs and his recent injury record has not been great.

Then there is Harry Maguire, who has shown a resurgence in form after being close to getting sold last summer, and there are murmurs that West Ham United could return for the former club captain.

Injuries have been a massive factor that has derailed the campaign and considering departures, this could open up more than one spot in the squad.

Football Insider have claimed the Red Devils are eyeing two centre-back additions in the summer.

One will be a big-name signing which will entail a higher spend while the other addition is expected to be a diamond in the rough or in other words, someone young who can develop further in the years to come.

Multiple arrivals

“Man United are starting work on deals to sign two centre-backs in the upcoming summer transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.

“It is believed the Red Devils will pursue both a big-money signing and another younger, less polished defender arrival.”

Big-name targets include Gleison Bremer, Antonio Silva and Jarrad Branthwaite just to name a few while the club is keeping tabs on rising Argentine star Aaron Anselmino.

This is a foolproof strategy and makes sense considering the club is finally planning for the future with INEOS now on board instead of signing quick fixes.

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Manchester United have decided to keep Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez at the club despite their ongoing injury problems.

Martinez has been plagued by numerous serious injuries over the last twelve months and was frustratingly ruled out yet again, after just returning to action at the end of March. However, not many would consider the Argentine’s place in the squad at risk just yet, as he performed wonderfully in his first season at Old Trafford and certainly deserves the chance to prove he can stay fit next year.

Lindelof’s case is not so clear-cut.

The Swedish captain has played 27 times this season for the Red Devils but like so many of the team’s defenders, has suffered from on and off knocks.

Whilst United’s problems at the back have stemmed from poor tactics and out of form players, the 31 different defensive combinations they have had to play in the Premier League this season have also majorly contributed to the defensive mess.

As a result of the centre back’s injury issues, it was assumed by many that he may be on his way out of Old Trafford. Consequently, he has been linked to numerous clubs across Europe such as AC Milan and Sevilla.

With the defender’s contract running out next summer, this would be the moment to sell the player to get any sort of fee for him, as next January he could begin to negotiate a free transfer to clubs outside of the United Kingdom.

In spite of this, Football Insider report that sources have told them, “Man United have decided to keep both Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez at the club despite their persistent injury problems”.

“The decision has been made by new Red Devils part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS organisation ahead of the 2024/25 season as the players have been assessed as “important” by the new regime.

It was also relayed by The Peoples Person yesterday that INEOS had decided to let Varane leave on a free transfer to free up wage space for the summer window.

In this context, the new owners are probably hesitant to lose more experience and being slightly younger and on significantly lower wages, will appeal to the new hierarchy. Furthermore, the Swede is more likely to accept a bench role than the bigger-named former Real Madrid defender.

United supporters will be hoping for new centre backs recruitments as Jarred Branthwaite, Gleison Bremer and Jean-Clair Todibo have all been continuously linked to the club.

Therefore if Lindelof was to stay as fourth or fifth choice centre back, it could be a smart piece of business by the new owners.

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