mm

Whether about a raft of redundancies or free lunches for staff being scrapped, news surrounding Manchester United's finances has not been positive.

Which will have left fans wondering how they are able to fund a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, amid a £200m refurbishment of their attack for next season.

The answer lies in some clever financing of their summer transfers both in and out – and some of the reports of their debt being greatly exaggerated.

"If Manchester United sneeze, football catches a cold," football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport.

"It is the biggest brand in English football. The redundancies do look severe, but that is the Ineos business model, they have done that at other companies. Whether it will work in football, we have to wait and see."

United sources previously outlined to the BBC's chief football news reporter Simon Stone how it is possible for them to reach an agreement on Sesko, even though co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said earlier this year there was the potential for the club to go bust by Christmas without massive cost-cutting measures.

Payment arrangements totalling £130m for the deals this summer for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, from Wolves and Brentford respectively, have been arranged in a favourable way.

It is likely any deal for Sesko would be arranged similarly, with the payment spread over the length of the player's contract.

In addition, the entirety of Marcus Rashford's £325,000-a-week salary is being covered by his loan move to Barcelona and Manchester United received £5m from Chelsea after the Blues pulled out of a deal to sign Jadon Sancho.

Manchester United have also received more than £15m in payments as part of sell-on clauses involving Anthony Elanga, Alvaro Carreras and Maxi Oyedele.

They've got plenty of headway, and could clear any overspend
at end of season anyway. Could buy Sesko on credit
and still get baleba in from Brighton.

Burnley have signed Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Newcastle United on a one-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.

The 36-year-old initially joined the Magpies on loan from Sparta Prague in January 2018 and kept 51 clean sheets in 179 appearances in all competitions during his seven-and-a-half years at St James' Park.

He played a key role in Newcastle's Carabao Cup win last season, keeping three clean sheets, including in each leg of the semi-final victory over Arsenal.

Burnley had been looking to replace James Trafford, 22, who rejoined Manchester City in July in a deal which the Clarets say is a new record fee for a British goalkeeper.

"I've only heard really positive things about the club, the culture and the environment we work in," Dubravka told Burnley's website., external

The Lancashire side were promoted to the Premier League after going on a 33-game unbeaten run in 2024-25 and reaching 100 points in the Championship. However, they just missed out on the title to Leeds United on goal difference.

Dubravka added: "Burnley had a fantastic campaign last season, built on a superb defensive record, and I can't wait to come in and add my experience and quality to what looks an exciting squad of players."

Elvis arrives to sort it out...



Benjamin Šeško’s agent Elvis Basanović has just arrived in Leipzig.

All parties involved in Šeško deal, trying to advance fast and close deal with Man United as soon as possible.

Šeško already agreed personal terms until June 2030.


€85mil inc add ons of 8.5m

Here we go

Incredible!  Skilled player - yes.  Productive player - no.  Potential purchase price - £45.0m.

You have to laugh.   AND I MEAN LAUGH! 

wdnt touch him with a barge pole- chelseas recruitment policy seems to be all ove the place

Grok says....

The £2.5 billion from the sale remains frozen in a UK bank account controlled by Abramovich’s company, Fordstam, as of June 2025. This is due to a dispute between Abramovich and the UK government over how the funds should be distributed.

Armando Broja's move to Burnley means Chelsea have made more than £250m in sales on players from their academy in just three years.

Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, influenced by the pressure of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR), have accelerated a strategy that began under their predecessor as owner, Roman Abramovich.

In this case, Broja's departure to Burnley is worth up to £20m if all add-ons are met, taking the potential total banked from academy player sales this summer to £41.2m.

Defender Bashir Humphreys also moved to Turf Moor for £14.7m, while Ishe Samuels-Smith moved to Strasbourg for £6.5m this summer.

Further sales are possible, with forward Tyrique George and England international Trevoh Chalobah not ruled out. Josh Acheampong has also attracted interest from Bournemouth but is considered not for sale unless a substantial offer is made.

The £41.2m slice of incoming funds is part of the £225.5m raised from player sales this summer alone.

But because academy players count as 'pure profit' in the club's accounts, their departures have provided Chelsea with greater financial flexibility - helping fund £250m in new signings, with transfer fees amortised over the five-year span of long-term contracts.

Interestingly, Burnley have contributed over £55m to Chelsea through player purchases this summer, also signing midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu for a fee believed to be over £20m, despite being officially undisclosed.

Sales of Noni Madueke, Djordje Petrovic, and others have boosted Chelsea's bottom line, with the club set to surpass £300m on incomings this summer.

The club are in talks to sign Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho, while RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons remains a target ahead of the transfer deadline on 1 September.

Chelsea squad will be interesting on Sunday they play Milan I think, on channel 5 again.

Estêvão has a big rep from South america

Could be a super star if hype is right.

Best young Brazilian I've seen in a while

And?

And..... how has the transfer window gone for Newcastle?

Manchester United have completed the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko in a move worth £73.7m.

The deal for the Slovenia international, who has joined on a five-year contract, includes a guaranteed payment of £66.3m, with the remainder in add-ons.

He is United's third major signing in attack following the arrivals of Matheus Cunha for £62.5m and Bryan Mbeumo for £65m with £6m in add-ons, with the trio presented to the club's fans prior to Saturday's pre-season home game against Fiorentina.

Sesko, 22, was also a target for Newcastle United but has chosen to join Ruben Amorim's side.

United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, while the Magpies were fifth and qualified for the Champions League in a campaign in which they also won the EFL Cup.

"The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future," said Sesko.

"When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon.

"From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions.

"I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together."

Speaking to MUTV, United head coach Amorim said: "He has the characteristics that we needed. Ben is a player that, with all the information that we have, we need to stop the guy from working - it is not the opposite! That is also important.

"He is the right character in this group so we are really, really happy to have him."

Malick Thiaw is decent, would be a good start if we can
sneak him through, £35m

looks like thaiw is a done deal yhtl

Guehi has a year to wait then he leaves
for nowt and pockets the £45 mill for himself.

Palace turned down 70m..but won fa cup whilst guehis
2 goals fired Newcastle to champions league

What a season...