Celtic joined race with arch rivals Rangers in battle to sign youngster
2 min read
Celtic are set to rival bitter rivals Rangers in the pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.
Mosaique FM reveals that Scottish champions are “preparing to make an offer” for the 21-year-old with United open to selling him this summer.
Though Mejbri is currently on tour with the Red Devils in the US, the Tunisian international has less than a year remaining on his deal at Old Trafford.
Despite his Stella performance last season which saw him deliver a brilliant show away to Burnley in September, the midfielder has fallen firmly down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.
A loan move to Sevilla in the second half of the year did little to improve his confidence with Mejbri only making six appearances in Spain for his newly-adopted side.
United are seeking to generate as much money as possible through sales this summer as INEOS look to buttress a transfer budget constrained by the pressures of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
The sale of an academy player constitutes a treasure trove from an FFP perspective as the income reflects purely as profit on the club’s finance sheet.
Nearly £40 million has already arrived through the sales of Alvaro Fernandes (Benfica), Willy Kambwala (Villarreal) and Mason Greenwood (Marseille), but more is needed to further buttress Ten Hag’s squad.
United want to reinforce their defence and midfield with deals close for Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt (both Bayern Munich), as well as Manuel Ugarte.
Rangers were reported to be in “advanced negotiatons” with United to sign Mejbri after the 21-year-old impressed the Scottish side during the two club’s recently pre-season friendly with a minimum fee of £7 million believed to have been set to sign the Tunisian.
However, the addition of an Old Firm rival to the race may lead United to play the two Scottish giants against each other and increase the price, with both side hate to lose to each other.
It remains to be seen whether those allegations from media outlet in Tunisia are accurate, but any glimmer of interest in a player United want to sell is a positive update for the club.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
