Man Utd’s Biggest Transfer Losses of All Time

Manchester United have been regarded as a club that can seemingly do no right in a post-Sir Alex Ferguson landscape.

The Red Devils were once England’s dynastical force, who would always be competing for and winning the biggest trophies with Fergie at the helm. That was the case for more than 25 years, so it’s no wonder that rival supporters have revelled in the tumultuous aftermath of his retirement.

Managers, ranging from elites of a bygone era to former players, have come and gone, with each boasting Old Trafford legacies that look improved with each subsequent baton pass. Those in the United dugout have often had the luxury of spending whatever they pleased to be the man to help the club escape the doldrums of increasing mediocrity.

However, the bulk of United’s lucrative purchases have proven to be, well...duds. And, as a result, the club have lost a lot of money when it eventually came around to parting ways. Here are the 10 biggest transfer losses in Manchester United’s history.

10. Eric Bailly (£30 million)

The list kicks off with a mere £30 million hit on Eric Bailly.

Signed from Villarreal full of potential in 2016, it initially appeared as if United had done a pretty good job at bolstering their backline during José Mourinho’s first season in charge.

A gangly and athletic centre-back, Bailly was a regular during his debut campaign, appearing 11 times during the club’s eventual Europa League success.

However, injuries took their toll on Bailly in Manchester, and he never appeared more than 13 times in a single Premier League season after 2016–17. The Ivorian joined Marseille on loan for the 2022–23 campaign before leaving for Beşiktaş as a free agent in 2023.

9. Donny van de Beek (£32.4 million)

Erik ten Hag’s scintillating Ajax outfit that were a miraculous Lucas Moura hat-trick away from the Champions League final in 2019 have proven to be somewhat of a fugazi.

The supposed brains behind the operation, Ten Hag, has seen his stock take hit after hit since leaving Amsterdam, while those responsible for the magic on the pitch have generally struggled to shine elsewhere too.

Among them is Donny van de Beek, whose signing for United was met with widespread acclaim in 2020. However, the masterful space interpreter in that excellent Ajax team never took to the English game and failed to improve upon a quiet debut season. Not even the arrival of Ten Hag, who coaxed the best out of him in the Dutch capital, could save Van de Beek’s Old Trafford. He joined Girona for a small fee in 2024.

8. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£35 million)

Aaron Wan-Bissaka spent five years at Old Trafford and racked up 130 Premier League appearances in United colours.

Some would look at this as £50 million well spent (if you include the £5 million in add-ons), but Wan-Bissaka’s time with the Red Devils was defined by outstanding isolated displays as opposed to sustained runs of form.

Wan-Bissaka’s outstanding one-on-one abilities meant he was capable of locking up the division’s best wingers on any given weekend, but the right back so often manifested the air of a footballer who rarely wanted the ball to arrive at his feet, while his back post positional sense could also be poor.

He certainly had his moments, but this was an awkward fit, on the whole.

7. Juan Mata (£37.1 million)

Manchester United and Chelsea, once fierce title rivals, have been willing business partners over the past decade, and the Red Devils benefitted from José Mourinho’s shunning of Spanish playmaker Juan Mata in west London.

Mata joined United midway through the 2013–14 campaign and wouldn’t leave until 2022. He left on a free, which means United technically lost all of the then-club-record fee they paid for him almost eight years before, but Mata was one of the rare examples of a big-money acquisition paying off.

He appeared 285 times with the club, helping them to FA Cup and Europa League triumphs, and was a fan favourite throughout.

6. Fred (£38.4 million)

Ah, Fred.

United sent £47 million Shakhtar Donetsk’s way for the Brazilian midfielder’s services, and it didn’t take a genius to work out that the Ukrainian club had put the wool over their eyes.

Fred wasn’t awful in Manchester, far from it, but the tenacious operator often performed like a plucky underdog in the middle of the park. He required particular profiles around him to thrive, not Scott McTominay before the Scot discovered San Marzano tomatoes.

Like Wan-Bissaka, Fred had his moments at the Theatre of Dreams, but the club were willing to take a considerable hit when they eventually sold him to Fenerbahçe in 2023.

5. Nemanja Matić (£40 million)

Nemanja Matić may not be regarded as one of the all-time great Premier League midfielders, but the Serb belongs in a close enough realm.

Matić was the lynchpin of multiple title-winning Chelsea teams, and opted to reunite with Mourinho at United in 2017.

He ended up playing more Premier League games with the Red Devils than he did the Blues, although his legacy on English shores is defined by the time spent in west London, rather than Manchester.

“I arrived at United with the anger to win trophies like I had at Chelsea, but step by step I started to feel that trophies were not the focus. Maybe I’m not right, but that was my feeling inside,” Matić would later comment.

His five years at the club ended without a trophy.

4. Raphaël Varane (£41 million)

There was plenty of buzz when Manchester United drafted in Raphaël Varane from Real Madrid in 2021. Despite their demise, the Red Devils were still able to attract supreme talent, with Varane establishing himself as one of Europe’s premier defenders during a decade-long spell in Madrid.

However, Varane didn’t live up to the hype at Old Trafford, with fitness setbacks preventing the centre back from having a discernible impact.

He was United’s best when fit and available, but the Red Devils certainly didn’t enjoy anything close to sustained mastery at the heart of their defence. Varane retired a year removed from his United exit.

3. Anthony Martial (£44.7 million)

It all started so promisingly for Anthony Martial, who had Martin Tyler pulling out an all-time commentary sequence on his Premier League debut.

Overall, Martial’s United legacy is tough to pinpoint because he was objectively brilliant for periods. He particularly excelled when crowds were absent immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic, scoring 17 Premier League goals during the 2019–20 season.

Ultimately, though, the forward failed to deliver on his supposed Ballon d’Or potential as a teenager. The final three seasons in Manchester were forgettable, with the club seeking an exit route for what felt like a decade.

He eventually joined Greek side AEK Athens for free in 2024.

2. Antony (£60 million)

Manchester United spent EIGHTY TWO MILLION POUNDS to sign Antony from Ajax in 2022.

Things may have started brightly for the Brazilian, scoring against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton in early-season encounters, but it quickly became clear that Antony, while he could impressively spin around while retaining possession of the ball, wasn’t of the required level. Not even close.

Pound-for-pound, he is the worst value signing in Manchester United‘s history. Now, he’s enjoying life in Seville with Real Betis.

1. Paul Pogba (£89 million)

Few transfers have garnered as much buzz as Paul Pogba’s Manchester United return in 2016, four years after he move from Old Trafford to Juventus and subsequently developed into a human highlight reel.

The compilation fiend set the club back a then-world-record £89 million, with the expectation that he was the midfield powerhouse capable of returning a fading United back to the promised land.

However, Pogba’s time in Manchester was ultimately a disappointment, even if there were some spectacular runs of form and outstanding performances. While otherworldly gifted, the Frenchman failed to function as the galvanising force the Red Devils required in their engine room.

Overall, Pogba’s second United spell somewhat resembles the institution itself over the past 12 or so years. He left in 2022 when his contract expired, returning to Juventus where his career spectacularly fell apart.