Sources: Man United ready to sell three stars ahead of January deadline
Man United will listen to offers for fringe stars Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Tom Heaton ahead of the January deadline, sources have told Football Insider.
The trio have been told they are free to find new clubs with their contract due to expire in the summer.
Defenders Jones, 30, and Tuanzebe, 25, and goalkeeper, 36, all have 12-month options in their contracts that would extend their agreements until the summer of 2024.
But United did not trigger their options during a recent wave of extensions, in which Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred were all tied down until 2024.
United have used the tactic of the extra year clause in recent years in order to protect their assets and have done so with the quartet considered crucial to Erik ten Hag’s future plans.
More controversially, the club opted not to activate the extension of the long-established number one David de Gea, who is on a £350,000-a-week contract.
He will have to take a sizeable pay cut if he is to continue his Old Trafford career beyond this summer.
Heaton has made just two appearances for United in his two seasons at the club, since signing from Aston Villa on a free transfer 18 months.
He has been on the bench since Martin Dubravka’s return to Newcastle United but the recent arrival of Jack Butland will push him back to the fringes.
Heaton is more likely to stay until the summer than Jones or Tuanzebe, in order to provide cover for De Gea and Butland.
Jones has made just six first-team appearances in nearly three years and has not figured at all under Ten Hag, while Tuanzebe has also not had a single minute of action this season.
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