Man United have £140m cash pile that could fund ‘superstar’ signing before deadline – but there’s a catch

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Adam Williams – Head of Football Finance and Governance Content for GRV Media – has now shared a financial update on Manchester United after a significant summer of spending.

Despite making several cutbacks last season – including the cancellation of the staff Christmas party – and a failure to qualify for any European competition, the Red Devils have spent over £200m on the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko this summer.

Despite this, Adam Williams claims Manchester United can still afford to make another headline addition for Ruben Amorim – but it would be unwise to do so

Manchester United have £140m to play with, which could finance Gianluigi Donnarumma deal

Manchester United looked much better against Arsenal in their Premier League opener last week, but there are still improvements to be made.

TBR Football understand Manchester United want Gianluigi Donnarumma after PSG told the Italian to leave – while there was also interest in signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton before the Red Devils backed out due to an asking price of over £100m.

It would be reckless to do so, but a deal for the PSG No.1 could be financed.

The Head of Football Finance and Governance Content for GRV Media reveals: “If push came to shove, I think United could probably just about afford another superstar addition this summer of around £100m without any sales. There wouldn’t be any immediate financial repercussions in terms of PSR penalties, meeting the day-to-day cash needs of the business, or unmanageable debt.

“However, just because you have a £5,000 allowance on a credit card, that doesn’t mean you should go and blast it all. They have been incredibly aggressive so far this summer. Without sales, it will be one of the most expensive transfer windows ever on a net basis for a club with no European football of any description.

“They are going to lose a lot of revenue without Europe, a minimum of £20m in matchday income, plus anywhere up to £100m-plus compared to if they were in the Champions League. Based on a mid-table finish in the Premier League in 2025/26, I think they’ll probably generate about £550m in revenue for the season.

“The wage bill is still going to be running at over £300m, even with step-down clauses in players’ contracts and the redundancies they have made. You’ve then got probably £150m of other operating costs, plus transfer instalments to pay. Their transfer debt was over £300m in 2023/24, which was second only to Chelsea in the Premier League. Over £150m of that was due in the last 12 months. Looking at how the deals in the last three windows have been structured, that figure is probably going to be broadly the same in 2025/26. So that’s £600m worth of costs you need to cover before other investments and roughly £35m of annual interest costs, and that’s with revenues of £550m.

“They have their credit facility to draw from, and I think that’s going to be key here. They had £140m available there. That comes with even more interest, however. So it’s possible that they could make more signings without sales, but it would be bordering on reckless. They can’t keep kicking the can down the road – they are spending more than they earn and that’s not sustainable in the long term.

“With sales, another big signing is eminently achievable. Getting rid of (Jadon) Sancho would save £20m in wages, plus whatever fee he generates in cash. (Alejandro) Garnacho, (Rasmus) Hojlund and Antony would also be significant savings. The thing is, they have put themselves in a position where buying clubs know they are desperate to shift players with less than two weeks of the window left. That’s not great for your leverage.”

Gianluigi Donnarumma deal seems simple but would require huge salary commitment

French media outlets believe PSG are open to accepting £30m for Donnarumma – who has just been nominated for the Ballon d’Or – as the Parisians aims to avoid losing him for free in 2026.

Lucas Chevalier has already been signed from Lille as a replacement.

It makes a deal seem relatively easy for Manchester United, but his salary demands would push the aforementioned financial boundaries at Old Trafford.

Donnarumma is reportedly earning £13.6m annually in Paris, which equates to around £260,000-a-week, but it is almost certain these reports factor in tax deductions, so the Italy international is probably closer to an initial £500,000-a-week salary on paper.

It means even a three-year deal for the goalkeeper would potentially cost Manchester United around £78m in wages, before you even consider the transfer fee PSG take.

As aforesaid, Manchester United can afford to do this without making any sales if they choose to, but it would be a reckless financial move.