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United prepared to cut losses on Fellaini

ESPN staff
June 9, 2014
A sight that summed up Marouane Fellaini's debut season at Manchester United © Getty Images
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Manchester United will listen to offers of around £15 million for Marouane Fellaini this summer, just nine months after making the midfielder the club's fourth most expensive signing of all time.

Fellaini followed David Moyes' from Everton to Old Trafford and proved to be the Scot's only summer recruit in a £27.5m move.

United's record signings

  • Marouane Fellaini was, until Juan Mata's arrival in January this year, Manchester United's fourth most expensive signing in the club's history. With Louis van Gaal looking to offload the frizzy-haired Belgian, his time at United will be forever filed under "flop". So how did those before him fare?
  • Dimitar Berbatov - £30.75m from Tottenham

    The jury is out on Berbatov. Many United fans saw him as the new Eric Cantona, but he failed to have the same influence as the enigmatic Frenchman. 48 goals in 108 games, however, was a decent return from the Bulgarian. He left for Fulham for an undisclosed fee after four years at Old Trafford.

  • Rio Ferdinand - £29.1m from Leeds United

    He made mistakes, sure. But eight-month bans for missing a drug test aside, Ferdinand was a rock at the centre of United's defence and with Nemanja Vidic forged one of the club's finest centre-back partnerships of all time. Left United this summer by mutual agreement.

  • Juan Sebastian Veron - £28.1m from Lazio

    Veron was undoubtedly one of the world's finest midfielders when he arrived in the summer of 2001 for a then world record transfer fee. But he failed to adapt to the pace of the English game and was heavily criticised, leading Ferguson to tell reporters "Veron is a f***ing great player" and "you are all f***ing idiots". Shortly after he was shipped off to Chelsea for £15m.

But a combination of injuries and poor form saw the Belgian endure a frustrating debut season in which he failed to score in 21 appearances, with many United fans considering him a symbol of Moyes' failures as Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement.

United used a total of 30 players last season, but, with no European competitions to accommodate, Moyes' successor Louis van Gaal is looking to trim the squad to 22 - and The Times claims United will look to recoup little more than half what they paid for Fellaini.

One player Van Gaal is keen to bring in is left-back Luke Shaw who, according to BBC Sport, told Southampton on the final day of the season that he wanted to join United.

Shaw, 18, spoke to Southampton officials at an end-of-season event following the 1-1 draw with United on May 11 - with a £27 million bid already on the table from the Old Trafford club.

Southampton, though, are not allowing any players leave until after a new manager is appointed having already lost Rickie Lambert to Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers has also seen several bids for Adam Lallana turned away, even admitting they are prepared to give up on the Saints captain.

Former Dutch international Ronald Koeman is the favourite to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who left last month to join Tottenham, while Hull City's Steve Bruce has also been linked to the position.

Shaw, though, has made his intentions clear and wants to clarify his future before the World Cup, which starts on Wednesday, with manager Roy Hodgson telling his players they cannot be thinking about their club future while the tournament is on.

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