Manchester United (Man U), which has reportedly shown great interest in acquiring Son Heung-min (33), is facing financial instability. Once hailed as one of the best clubs in the world, the club is currently struggling with its performance and internal issues.
Man U announced on the 26th (Korean time), "We will restructure the corporations to enhance the sustainability of club finances and improve operational efficiency. Our goal is to recover financial soundness after experiencing deficits for the past five years. We aim to establish a financial foundation not only for investments in the success of the men's and women's teams, but also for infrastructure improvements."
This adjustment will result in the layoffs of up to 200 employees. After last year’s acquisition of the club by Jim Ratcliffe, 250 employees had already been laid off.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the free lunches provided to employees working at Old Trafford will also be eliminated. This aims to save an annual expense of £1 million (approximately 1.8 billion won). Additionally, some employees will be relocated to the Carrington training ground to reduce the number of staff working at Old Trafford.
This financial austerity is deeply related to the team's poor performance.
If Man U finishes in 15th place in the Premier League 2024-2025 season, the broadcasting revenue received from the league office will be only £16.9 million (approximately 30.5 billion won). This amount does not even reach half of the £36.7 million (approximately 66.3 billion won) received last season for finishing in 8th place.
Additionally, it is reported that Man U will have to compensate sponsor Adidas £10 million (approximately 18.5 billion won) if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Despite the departure of manager Eric ten Hag and the arrival of manager Ruben Amorim, the atmosphere within the team at Man U is quite gloomy this season. League performance has been disappointing, and the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. The only remaining competitions are the UEFA Europa League (Round of 16) and the FA Cup (Round of 16).
Meanwhile, amid this situation, Tottenham's captain Son Heung-min (33) has been embroiled in transfer rumors with Man U.
The British media 'Give Me Sport' reported on the 24th (Korean time) that "Man U is fully committed to acquiring a 'world-class' striker. They are said to be all in on a shocking summer transfer for Tottenham's captain Son Heung-min."
The media cited Spanish outlet 'Pichajes' stating, "Man U is monitoring Son Heung-min in the upcoming transfer market to add a proven Premier League (PL) forward to their team. They highly value Son's leadership, scoring ability, and versatility since he can play both on the side and in the center."