Manchester United don’t know their transfer budget yet, but £70m move could soon change that

If Manchester United get an early deal over the line for Jarrad Branthwaite this month, then it could be a boost at the start of the summer transfer window, but it would also wipe out almost all of their initial summer transfer budget.

United entered the summer window with a relatively low starting figure for signings, perhaps as little as £50m, with finances still constrained by concerns over financial fair play and, in particular, profit rules and sustainability (PSR) of the Premier League.

Failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League, coupled with last season’s early exit from Europe, has put further pressure on United’s finances and with Ineos keen to hold the reins for now, it was always going to mean a challenging transfer window ahead . .

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A gross outlay of around £50m is never going to do the trick this summer when a centre-back and striker are the priorities. After Everton rejected United’s £43m opener for Branthwaite, that figure alone is likely to be smashed if and when the first deal goes through.

The challenge for United’s transfer team, led by technical director Jason Wilcox and director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves, is how much they can add to that number. If the kitty swells to £100m this summer, then it would probably have exceeded expectations.

The departures of high earners Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial have already created a place on the books and the target will now be to sell players, with a balance to be found between closing deals quickly and increasing the value of departing players.

That significant progress has been made in the first few weeks of June on the move for Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood is particularly encouraging. Selling players has been a weakness for United in recent years, with a lack of ruthlessness and willingness to tie players down to long contracts clouding judgement.

Those days seem to be over. The difficulty for United with Sancho and Greenwood this summer was that their position was so clear that it weakened their hand. Neither will play for the club again.

But Juventus are pushing for Greenwood, with Napoli also interested. Borussia Dortmund retain their interest in Sancho, as do clubs in Italy. Both players had good loan spells last season and United are taking advantage of that to try and seal deals.

Bringing in £70m or more for both players would be a significant boost to the transfer budget. It would give the club more freedom to push for a striker and if a goalscorer also arrives earlier in the window then it will give the impression that Ineos are serious.

This is unlikely to be the end of the comings and goings at Old Trafford this summer. At least one of Victor Lindelof or Harry Maguire is likely to leave, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka could also leave. Casemiro is another player United are willing to listen to offers for with the futures of Antony and Marcus Rashford not yet guaranteed.

But at the start of this month, the key target was to find buyers for Sancho and Greenwood and start on the two priority positions. This has been achieved and if all goes to plan, the budget the club have to work with this summer will soon look a little more impressive.