Spanish flop Albert Luque will lead the exodus from St James' Park at the end of the season.
For The Chronicle can reveal tonight that the striker has agreed to join PSV Eindhoven on loan.
The word from Holland today was that after failing to tie up Luque on loan during the January transfer window, PSV have finally agreed a loan deal with United with a view to making the move permanent.
And this means that, with PSV having clinched the Dutch title on Sunday, Luque will be playing Champions League football next season.
This will make the 29-year-old happy - but United will be equally happy to see the back of the player who cost them £10m when he arrived from Deportivo La Coruna on the eve of season 2005-06, even if it only means at first they do not have to pay his wages.
Since his arrival he has only managed to start 14 games for United, with a further 20 appearances as sub, scoring three goals - his first at Sunderland followed by strikes in Europe this season against Lillestrom and Palermo.
But significantly, in what has been probably the worst season in United's history as far as injuries have been concerned, Luque has yet to start a Premiership match.
PSV manager Ronald Koeman obviously feels he can get the best out of the player who has 16 full Spanish caps and scored three goals for his country.
And while Luque can look forward to Champions League football next season it seems certain now that there will be no European football at St James' Park.
Before Monday's defeat by Reading, United had a slight chance of qualifying for the InterToto Cup again.
This was because the likes of Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Reading and Manchester City have decided not to enter the competition, even though the team from the Premiership only has to win one two-legged tie to get a place in the UEFA Cup.
Before Monday, what United needed was for Spurs to qualify for the UEFA Cup and for themselves to finish above both Blackburn and Middlesbrough and be in the top 11 in the Premiership and they would be in the InterToto.
But now Blackburn, Saturday's visitors to St James' Park, need only one point from nine to finish above United.
As the Chronicle revealed yesterday, there is a possibility that Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell could join United in the close season.
This has been knocked by Pompey boss Harry Redknapp - but he must not be aware that it was Campbell, whose girlfriend lives on Tyneside, who contacted United last week.
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