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Ruben Amorim has a summer transfer budget of a little less than £100m and retains Manchester United’s firm backing despite Wednesday’s Europa League final defeat by Tottenham.
As the Guardian previously reported, the executive’s belief in Amorim was not going to be affected by the result at San Mamés in Bilbao. The football department, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, wants the Portuguese to have a first pre-season with his team and to strengthen the squad.
Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, a playmaker, and Ipswich Town’s No 9 Liam Delap remain Amorim’s prime targets and the club do not have the sell to buy either. This is because of the cuts made by Ratcliffe, which include a latest round of redundancies that when executed will take the total number of job losses to about 450.
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Delap’s price is £30m but his potential signing remains in the balance because he is also of interest to Newcastle and Chelsea. A deal to buy Cunha, whose release clause is £62.5m, is thought to be closer.
The club will listen to offers for players including Alejandro Garnacho, who cast doubt over his future after the loss to Spurs. “Until we reached the final, I played every round,” Garnacho said. “And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
