Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is nearing a loan move to serial Europa League winners Sevilla, according to reports.
The 20-year-old has been on the fringes of Erik ten Hag’s team, unable to command regular minutes despite United’s inconsistent performances in the Premier League and Champions League.
Hannibal has featured 10 times this season, starting just three matches, and the Evening Standard report that the Tunisian international is determined to play more first-team football. His last start in any competition was back on November 1, when Newcastle outplayed United at Old Trafford and inflicted an embarrassing 3-0 defeat.
Sevilla are now looking like Hannibal’s next destination, with a move to La Liga said to be the player’s preference over a switch to Everton, who have also been linked. The move is expected to be a straightforward loan until the end of the season, though Sevilla will also have the option to buy Hannibal, whose United contract expires in 2025.
The Athletic report that United are expected to include a ‘buy-back mechanism’ – allowing them control over the player’s long-term future should he flourish in Spain – and that talks are ‘advancing’ with Sevilla.
Hannibal may be required to sit on the bench for United’s upcoming Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur, but the Red Devils only have another two fixtures to play before the transfer deadline on February 1.
Jadon Sancho has already left United to rejoin former club Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season, but that deal does not include an option to buy. There’s hope that the 23-year-old can re-establish himself as one of European football’s leading wingers, potentially increasing his value ahead of a permanent exit this summer.
A falling out with Ten Hag in September saw Sancho banished from first team activities, and he’s unlikely to have any kind of long-term future at Old Trafford unless he apologises to the Dutchman for an outburst on social media – something that’s not been forthcoming for the past four months.
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