Manchester United are expecting a quiet January transfer window as they are worried that bringing in big-money buys could mean they breach Financial Fair Play regulations.

United spent almost £200m in the summer, when manager Erik ten Hag made seven signings, and football director John Murtough said they were not planning to be as busy next month and prefer to get their major deals done in the close season.

United could let fringe players leave, with midfielder Donny van de Beek set to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the rest of the season, but unless they bring in significant funds, they do not have much leeway to spend.

They would be willing to listen to offers for winger Jadon Sancho, who has been frozen out by Ten Hag for the last three months, but may struggle to bring in a sizeable transfer fee for the England international now.

And Murtough told a fans’ forum: “Looking ahead to the January transfer window, we are not expecting it to be particularly busy. There will always be the possibility of deals around the edges of the squad, particularly in terms of finding opportunities for players who are not playing as much football as they would like.

“However, we’ve always been consistent in saying that we do not see January as the optimal time to do business and our recruitment strategy remains focused on summer windows.

“We’ve seen this season that Financial Fair Play rules have real teeth, so we have to be very careful to ensure that we remain compliant, and we will. But that means being really disciplined on spending going forward, with a balance between incomings and outgoings.”

United’s seven summer signings were Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Sergio Reguilon, Altay Bayindir and Jonny Evans.