I think some people don't quite understand how costly Kane will be on a yearly/FFP basis compared to Hojlund.
Kane for 100m fee and likely only a four year contract on 400k per week wages is going to cost around 46m per year in FFP terms, which is just a massive number. He'll be the most expensive player in the PL aside from perhaps Haaland.
Hojlund for 60m fee and a five year contract on 150k per week will cost 20m per year in FFP terms, which is not insignificant but pretty common for a good young player.
If United is truly up against the wall with FFP, its hard to make the case that they should just go out and add the most or second most expensive player by FFP in the entire PL and that if they don't do it something is wrong.
Or if ETH really wanted Kane, he should have found a cheaper solution to the midfield or GK positions than Mount (probably 25m per year by FFP) or Onana (somewhere between 15-20m per year by FFP depending on wages).
Just to be clear here , the FFP figures you quote are indeed correct providing we buy players on agreed terms to match the contract duration of the new player, however assuming that the true transfer budget was £170m as rumoured after the ridiculous £100-120m, we could increase that transfer budget by selling academy players for net transfer profit.
Example A Elanga, D Henderson,
B Williams, E Laird, Z IQbal, C Savage, Sell on fee T Chong, M Jurado we could sell All of them for £40m and immediately add £150-200m to our budget as we are able to multiple the value by the length of the contract for players sold for net profit.
New FSP is 90% of turnover this year so the club reported turnover £640m allows United to spend £576m on wages, Net transfers including existing amortise transfer costs per year (we owe £308m in total and probably £90m per year), Agent Fees, Financials including P@L and all expenses.. our wages are reported to have reduced from £385m season 21/22 to £340m season 22/23, the club financials lost at least £35m plus an additional £50m in servicing the historic debt so that’s an £85m loss hence our small fine this summer which was based on the last 3 financial years and the Glazers misreading Uefa allowance for covid 19 financial recredits.
The Financial Sustainability rule of £576m threshold this year would be based on a very rough estimate is -
£340m ((wages),
£90m(Amortised transfer),
£85m (financials)
£25m (Agent Fees)
Leaving £576m - £540m = £36m multiplied by 4.5(av length of contracts) £160-170m transfer budget without selling.
Now by selling the homegrown players that I discussed, a total budget of £275m-350m is possible without FFP fines!
The real issues are that if we continue to pay on credit terms yearly we will eventually get in trouble because the new FSP rule reduce to 70% in 2025/26 season and we are constantly rolling on transfers costs into the never ending abyss and eventually will find out there is no more room to spend in this way.
Example if we increase revenue to £750m in season 25/26 we could only spend £525m on wages, net transfer fees, Debt, financials, expenses and agent fees, we spend £300m this summer on terms snd we add £60m to our annual amortised transfer debt now probably £135-140m, wages go up to £375m and as you can see without a new owner that will wipe out the debt, the club will be in huge trouble with Uefa.
The litmus test for “Are United being sold this summer?”
will be if we pay for some of these signing in one instalment this summer, using the Bank of America credit card facility because if we do, then you can be assure the Glazers are selling the club, because the £260m available would have to be paid back by Xmas at the latest for the club to trade in its normal way.
If Harry Kane was paid £100m in one instalment then you do not amortise his cost for the next four years at £25m per year on your accounts, it goes into this year in one hit against the increased budget due to selling Academy players. In short United could easily buy Kane for £100m and buy His hound for £60m over 5 years or maybe pay half upfront for Hojlund and then add 5 years at £6m amortised transfer plus £6m wages. I say that knowing this would only happen if we were being sold as the Glazers would never agree to repay the £260m credit card facility with their own money!