Manchester United announce loss despite reducing wage bill by £53 million - Reports

Manchester United have released their accounts for the 2022-23 season, which saw them register a loss of £28.7 million. This is despite the team cutting the wage bill by close to £53 million after the side failed to qualify for last season's Champions League.

However, the Daily Mail reported that the 2022-23 campaign marked the first time the Glazer family did not take a dividend out of the club's revenue. The Americans have banked the majority of the team's revenue since 2015, earning close to £33.5 million for the 2021-22 season.

For the previous season, however, the Americans declined their dividends with the intention to spend more on the development of the squad. Manager Erik ten Hag was able to spend close to £200 million this summer, bringing in the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana.

Manchester United's finances have come under increased scrutiny recently, after the Glazers announced their interest to sell the club in November, 2022. The Red Devils still continue to be one of the most marketable football teams in the world, recording a revenue of £648 million. The figure is expected to rise in the coming seasons owing to new deals with Adidas and Snapdragon.

United are also set to sell 25% of the club to the CEO of petrochemicals giant Ineos, Sir Jim Ratcliffe for close to £1.5 billion. They rejected a proposal worth close to £6 billion from Qatar's Sheikh Jassim to purchase the club entirely.

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Manchester United considering shock move for free agent

de Gea is still a free agent after leaving Old Trafford.

Manchester United are interested in a surprising reunion with former goalkeeper David de Gea. According to the Sun, the Red Devils are looking to bring the Spaniard back after his departure from the club following the expiry of his contract this summer.

The report claims that Erik ten Hag's side are interested in bringing de Gea back with current starter Andre Onana expected to miss time due to the Africa Cup of Nations. While the Cameroon international originally announced his retirement from the national side following a disagreement with the head coach, he has now returned to the side and featured in a qualifier against Burundi in September. He is expected to miss about eight games in January and February.

De Gea had a stellar 12-year stint at Old Trafford but left in difficult circumstances after United retracted their contract extension offer. He has remained a free agent since leaving Manchester United.