Romano: Three senior Manchester United players set for summer exit as free agents

Transfer News: According to Fabrizio Romano, three Manchester United players are poised to leave the club this summer when their contracts expire.

Manchester United is prepared to prepare for the exits of three first-team players at the end of the season, according to football transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, with the club not intending to extend their existing contracts.

With the summer transfer window approaching in a few months, United is anticipated to make a slew of changes to their senior roster in order to boost the squad and fight for titles once more.

This season’s Champions League elimination in the Round of 16 to Atletico Madrid meant that we would finish the season without any silverware. With this, we have now gone five years without winning a championship, stretching our trophy drought even further.

A new permanent manager is also anticipated to be recruited ahead of the new season, with the expectation that the new man will usher in a new era at Old Trafford and seek to return the club to where it was before undergoing a big rebuild.

Three exits are planned.

As part of this, the squad is anticipated to undergo some changes, with Romano confirming that the Red Devils are willing to split ways with first-team talents Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, and Juan Mata because the Manchester club has no intention of opening contract talks with them.

Furthermore, they intend to keep Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw at Old Trafford for a few more years, with the former expected to sign a new contract in the coming days. Meanwhile, Shaw will be in negotiations with the club about a new contract soon.

Lingard has been at United the longest, progressing through the ranks at Carrington before breaking into the first squad. He has seen his influence at his boyhood club diminish dramatically in recent seasons, even moving on loan to West Ham United in the second half of last season, where he was a revelation and helped them reach a Europa League spot in the league table.

Mata was signed in a blockbuster deal from Chelsea, with the Spaniard being one of the brightest talents at Stamford Bridge previous to his move to Old Trafford. Like Lingard, the former Blues man has seen his first-team appearances dwindle over the years. His age of 33 may potentially be a factor in his limited playing time.

Cavani joined us on a free transfer in the summer of 2020 after tearing it up for Paris Saint-Germain in France, and the veteran striker was brought in to reinforce our attacking lines. His enthusiasm and passion on the pitch quickly made him a fan favorite, but with injuries taking their toll on the 35-year-old this season, we haven’t been able to call on him in games where we desperately needed a goal.

It will be difficult to say goodbye to these stars, given how well-liked they were by the fans at the club. We can recall all the good times they gave us if they leave for free this summer – notably Mata and Lingard, whose goals were important in our last FA Cup win in 2015.