Sir Jim Ratcliffe stance on Manchester United signing Marco Reus after agent spotted at Old Trafford

Marco Reus will become a free agent this summer following 12 years at Borussia Dortmund after the club told him they would not be offering a renewal.

The player and his agent may have already foreseen the news with his representative spotted at Old Trafford back in January, as relayed by The Daily Mail. Reus is sure to be linked with Manchester United and a number of other Premier League clubs in the window as a result of his availability.

But Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already outlined why an Old Trafford move for Reus is extremely unlikely. United are set to sanction a number of exits this summer with only four players on the no-sale list.

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The club will listen to offers for all other players and are unlikely to renew the contracts of several. Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans, both over 30, are set to leave upon the expiry of their deals, as is 28-year-old Anthony Martial.

Casemiro could make an exit two years after his arrival while United would have to sell fellow 32-year-old Christian Eriksen within the next two windows in order to get a fee for the Dane. The trajectory seems to be going one way with a real need for age balance within the squad.

United are searching for a pair of young centre-backs this summer with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof set to be north of 30 by the start of next season. Lisandro Martinez is the only mid-20s option aged 26 while Willy Kambwala only made his debut in December aged 19.

It seems there needs to be an injection of players still in their early 20s who can be starting XI regulars and be part of the Ratcliffe project for the long haul. In fact, Ratcliffe himself has said that his aim is to think long-term.

Speaking earlier this year, he said: “I would rather sign the next [Kylian] Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success. It’s not that clever buying Mbappe.

“Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next [Jude] Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”

At 34, this would inevitably rule Rues out. The fact he has started just half of his Bundesliga games also indicates he would struggle further in the Premier League where the intensity is greater. It’s no surprise that links with Saudi are rife.