Man Utd wonderkid set for January transfer - Romano

Tom Weber

• Updated: 28 Dec 2023 12:08 GMT
• 3 min read

Hannibal Mejbri is set to depart Manchester United on loan in January, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Tunisian wonderkid appeared to be on the verge of winning a regular starting spot in Erik ten Hag's side earlier in the season, but despite several impressive showings, the midfielder was ultimately unable to retain his place. Since then, his game time has diminished significantly.

Already heavily linked with a departure from Man Utd in the summer, it appears that he will leave after all, albeit belatedly and only temporarily. According to Fabrizio Romano, Hannibal has been given the green light from the club to find a loan side in the upcoming transfer window.

The Italian further claimed that the 20-year-old will not join up with Tunisia at AFCON because of this. There are several clubs interested in acquiring his services and they want him to be available in January and February.

Three clubs want Hannibal

According to Romano, Sevilla, SC Freiburg and Olympique Lyon are the clubs keenest to take the youngster on loan. Sevilla's interest has been long-standing and the LaLiga side were one of Mejbri's biggest suitors in the summer.

Lyon, meanwhile, could look for midfield reinforcements as Rayan Cherki is facing an uncertain future at the club. In fact, we may yet witness something of a swap deal as Man Utd hold an interest in signing the Frenchman, as exclusively revealed by FootballTransfers.

Freiburg, finally, could also use another body in midfield as they have looked quite thin in that department this season. Though whether Mejbri is the answer remains to be seen as he would potentially challenge two highly-rated academy graduates in Yannick Keitel and Merlin Röhl for minutes.

The Tunisian's United contract expires in the summer, but the Red Devils do have the option to trigger a one-year extension. However, that won't be necessary, according to Romano, because talks over a proper new deal for Hannibal are well underway.