Man Utd and Chelsea transfer plans in limbo as Saudi Arabia eye “aggressive” U-turn

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to become a title-challenging force again inside three years.

The first problem INEOS’ founder, and his assembling team of off-field decision-makers, may find is that step one of their transformation involves finding somewhere to shift the deadwood.

At a time when Premier League clubs have become hyper-aware of the now stringently-enforced profit and sustainability rules, there is a wide acceptance that United must sell before they buy at the end of this season. They are not alone in that regard but the problem is finding willing buyers for high-salary players with years left to run on their contracts.

And already they are finding that avenues are being closed off. Among the clubs capable of spending across Europe, Real Madrid are pooling their resources on bringing in Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain, who in turn say they are committed to focusing on young talent after their superstar era failed to yield Champions League success.

Barcelona are running out of levers to lure expensive talent, while Bayern Munich's travails this season leaves question marks around their intentions. Will United sell to domestic rivals? Risky business, no matter the need to offload fringe cast members.

And that brings us to the Saudi Pro League, which director of football Michael Emenalo insists will not be a “dumping ground for players that didn't work in other clubs.” Last summer the SPL turned the sport upside down by spending £754m on new signings - including a host of Premier League stars and World Cup winners.

Yet Emenalo has stressed that the league is not going to be a “retirement home” for ageing stars and the project is a long-term one with plans for it to grow naturally. “Acquisitions of