Manchester United have put European clubs on surprise transfer alert despite difficult trading conditions

The Manchester United squad could be split into four groups heading into a summer transfer window in which Ineos are determined to raise funds from outgoings. There are those players almost certain to leave, a group whose departure will be strongly considered, some for whom big offers would be listened to and then that small group that are going nowhere.

After missing out on Champions League football, United know they will have to sell to boost their transfer kitty this summer. As ever, the problem with that is the players the club are most keen to sell aren't necessarily the players other clubs are most keen to sign.

Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho are in that group that won't be sold, yet they are probably the two most sellable assets in the squad, given their sky-high potential. Given a fair headwind United might be able to raise £60million by selling Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood, but offloading Donny van de Beek, for example, will be a struggle.

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The likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Facundo Pellistri could be sold but are unlikely to fetch significant sums. Space will at least be saved on the wage bill if Raphael Varane follows Anthony Martial out of the exit door.

But the difficulty in raising funds in a market that is contracting thanks to stringent Premier League spending rules and the financial position of some of Europe's biggest clubs means surprise sales have to be considered. The stories this week that most of this squad are potentially up for sale will have