Manchester United fear being stuck with Alexis Sanchez next summer.
The Mirror says United were stung when they smashed their wage structure to land Sanchez from Arsenal 18 months ago.
They are still paying most of the Chilean's 500,000-a-week wages despite offloading him on loan to Inter Milan.
Sanchez has now been sidelined until the New Year by an ankle injury picked up on international duty.
United believe the 30-year-old will be sent back to Old Trafford at the end of the season and they will be stuck with a player that is no longer wanted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
