Manchester United announce seven players are leaving as Erik ten Hag continues next season's plans

Manchester United have announced seven players have been released by the club after their contracts ran out, with others still hopeful of new deals.

It's a summer of change at Old Trafford with fans desperate to find out who will get to buy the club from the Glazer family, as the takeover continues to drag on.

Whilst some were getting excited over the possibility of Sheikh Jassim being named as the preferred bidder it seems that they'll have to wait for the beginning of the season to find out.

One piece of good news for the fans and Erik ten Hag is that the transfer budget can still be spent even with the Glazers about to leave.

The team are desperately in need of a striker this summer but it looks like Harry Kane won't be coming, with the club not wanting to get into a long drawn out transfer saga.

A goalkeeper is also now a top priority with David de Gea's form being questioned towards the end of the season, including in the FA Cup final.

The Spaniard's contract is due to expire at the end of the month and he's yet to sign a new deal, with Saudi Arabian clubs reportedly interested.

However despite not signing yet, the former Atletico Madrid number one isn't included on the list of players who have been released by the club.

Defenders Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe have been let go however, with Ethan Galbraith, Di’Shon Bernard, Eric Hanbury, Charlie Wellens and Manni Norkett also released.

Jones was always expected to leave. Image: Alamy

On De Gea the statement said: "In terms of the goalkeeping department, discussions remain open with David De Gea over a potential new contract, while Tom Heaton and Nathan Bishop have had extensions triggered on their deals."

It continued: "Extensions were also processed for defenders Rhys Bennett and Ethan Laird, while Under-21s player coach Tom Huddlestone is expected to stay after discussions over a new contract.

"Young forward Mateo Mejia has also been offered a deal."

The club are still concluding an internal investigation into whether or not Mason Greenwood will be allowed to have his suspension dropped.

The forward is on the list of retained players along with a list of players under the age of 24, which includes players returning from loan such as Amad Diallo.