Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be eager to make his mark in his maiden summer transfer market as Manchester United co-owner.. He has, of course, already made several steps towards a change in structure. Omar Berrada’s forthcoming arrival as CEO from Manchester City showed an initial statement of intent while his plans for a revamped Old Trafford proves he is thinking about the long-term as well as the near future.. Despite becoming the second-wealthiest owner in the English pyramid upon his minority stake purchase – only behind the Saudi Public Investment Fund of Newcastle – he too is beholden to Premier League spending rules.. READ MORE: Erik ten Hag has made his feelings perfectly clear on Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United promise. READ MORE: Manchester United ace Andre Onana told manager has shown him a ‘lack of respect’. Financial Fair Play is no stranger to Ratcliffe, having had to balance the books at OGC Nice since his 2019 acquisition. He will have a higher threshold to play with at United given the revenues the club generates but the possibility of missing out on Champions League football next season will still stir worry within.. Qualification is obviously not something he can directly control for the remainder of this season, with an Erik ten Hag dismissal very unlikely before then. However, Ratcliffe and INEOS will start to be scrutinised more closely this summer, by which time three decisions will have had to be made.. The first of which is brokering a deal for Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth. United are adamant that they will not pay the £20 million compensation fee demanded by the Magpies, who paid Brighton less than £4m for him two years ago.. Ashworth is currently on gardening leave after telling the club of his wish to exit and Ratcliffe says Newcastle would be “silly” to prolong the inevitable. That said, the 71-year-old will know his arrival will not be cost-free.. Ratcliffe is unwilling to fork out £20m, despite him knowing that the former FA chief is perhaps worth 10-times as much in the long-run, due to short-term considerations and what impact any compensation fee would have on FFP thresholds.. Sacking compensation counts towards spending costs and the amount paid out to Ashworth would be deducted from the summer transfer spending allowance. The same issue occurs if Ten Hag is sacked.. Sir Jim Ratcliffe meets Erik ten Hag at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground (Image: Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images). Ratcliffe has remained ominously tight-lipped about his assessment of Ten Hag, which could mean many things but definitely signals that his job is not secure. MEN Sport understands that Ratcliffe is indeed not totally sold on the Dutchman, despite last season’s success.. Any estimation on how much compensation United would shell out upon a dismissal would be merely speculative but it would absolutely eat into the summer budget. A lack of Champions League football and a squashed wallet does not spell out a marquee summer for Ratcliffe.. The INEOS chief is expected to show a number of players the door this summer, maybe stretching into double figures, perhaps fulfilling the ‘open-heart surgery’ prophecy given by Ralf Rangnick in 2022.. However, this potential mass exodus of players is not all down to Ratcliffe. He will naturally have precedence over those whose contracts are running out, such as Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane, but when it comes to sales, that depends on how much clubs are willing to pay.. United have been woeful at getting returns or low-loss fees for their players for at least a decade. Donny van de Beek at Frankfurt and Hannibal Mejbri at Sevilla have combined buy-out clauses of £29m in their loan agreements.. The problem is, both are enduring underwhelming spells to say the least and neither is likely to be taken in permanently. Jadon Sancho – with no purchase option in his loan – would look more likely to stay at Borussia Dortmund if the club had not already said they cannot afford him.. Ratcliffe is showing all the right early signs but it is historical and external factors – namely FFP – that will tighten the blazer buttons this summer. Those anticipating an opening ballad may be better expecting a slow-rising symphony.. Get United derby and news updates on WhatsApp!. It’s the Manchester derby once again, and United could really do with knocking Man City off their perch, to quote Sir Jim Ratcliffe.. Our team of experts are on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for this week and beyond, and you can get the latest team news, injury updates, reaction and analysis along with inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community. 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