Reports: Manchester United to sell two first-team players this summer
What's the rumour?
According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester United are ready to sell Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian to generate some funds and free up some room in the first team. The primary objective of executing these sales is to fund the move for Leicester City centre-back Harry Maguire.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United have been heavily linked with Harry Maguire over the past week and have been asked by Leicester City to pay as much as £65 million for the England international who had quite an impressive World Cup outing.
Matteo Darmian has also been on the fringes for a good while now and Mourinho has also admitted that the player wants to leave and that United is waiting for the right offer.
Marcos Rojo only recently signed a new 3 and a half year deal in March. However, that is now seeming like a shrewd move on United's part to raise his selling price. United are reportedly holding out for an offer in the ballpark of £30 million.
The heart of the matter
Marcos Rojo took a while to settle in at Manchester United but when he did, he formed one of the most formidable defensive units in the league alongside Eric Bailly. However, constant bouts with injury has left Mourinho frustrated and he is ready to drop the guillotine on Rojo's presence at Old Trafford.
Matteo Darmian had slipped down the pecking order following Louis van Gaal's last season and has been playing a bit-part role.
However, United might need Darmian for the season opener against Leicester as most of their first team players would not be back and fit by then. The Serie A, Darmian's potential destination, closes its transfer window on the 17th of August, a week after the Premier League transfer window shuts.
Darmian said this when he was asked about a potential move,
“Yes, that’s what I want, but we will see what happens because we don’t know.
“I want to play more regularly. Last season I didn’t play much - that’s my objective and my ambition.
“That’s why I spoke with the manager and also with the club about my future.
“We will see what happens. Honestly, I’m waiting. If I stay, I stay and I do what I did up until now.
“If I go, it’s because the offer that another team makes will be good.
“To play for probably the best club in the world is a good thing and for me it’s an honour to play for United.
“But we have to take decisions in our life and this is my decision. Italy? It could be an option, yes, probably.”
Rumour rating/probability: 6/10
Daily Mirror isn't such a strong source for transfer rumours but given the circumstantial evidence, I guess this one could happen anyway.
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What's next?
United have a surplus of defenders right now and most of the players they are linked with in this transfer window are also defenders. Darmian should leave United but Rojo might still want to prove himself at Trafford and force the club to give him another chance.
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