Burnley will pay Manchester United £9 million including add-ons for the services of midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, according to Fabrizio Romano.
News of the Clarets’ interest in the Tunisian international emerged over the weekend, with Sky Sports reporting that discussions were taking place with the Premier League giants. Manager Scott Parker was keen to bring in further options for the middle of the park following Sander Berge’s transfer to Fulham last week.
It’s been a difficult transfer window for Burnley. Although a raft of incomings have arrived through the door, last season’s relegation has also seen a number of departures. It is thought that there will be more exits this week, with goalkeeper James Trafford wanted by Newcastle United whilst captain Josh Brownhill has caught the attention of several top tier clubs.
Despite that, Burnley have started the season well, winning two of their opening three games. They comfortably swept aside Luton Town and Cardiff City before suffering defeat against Sunderland on Saturday. A Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers awaits this weekend, where more new names could appear on the teamsheet.
One of those is likely to be Mejbri. Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the 21-year-old has completed his medical at Turf Moor ahead of the transfer. On top of the £9 million fee, it is believed that Manchester United have negotiated a sell-on clause, although the percentage remains unclear.
🟣🇹🇳 Manchester United will receive package worth £9m for Hannibal Mejbri from Burnley, add-ons included.
There’s also a sell-on clause, medical was done on Monday and now time for documents. pic.twitter.com/2eGpWNNj0g
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 27, 2024
Hannibal made 13 appearances for the 20-time English champions during the first half of last season but moved to La Liga outfit Sevilla on loan in January. The deal did include a £15 million option to buy, although this was not taken up as the former Monaco youngster made just one start for the club.
This will be the player’s second stint in the Championship. He enjoyed an excellent loan spell with Birmingham City during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring once and assisting five over 38 appearances.
Writer’s View
Burnley will be delighted to get this transfer over the line. Mejbri will offer an extra aggression to Scott Parker’s midfield whilst his versatility will also give an additional option in the attacking end of the pitch.
This can arguably be seen as a bit of a coup. He was highly rated at Manchester United and utilised as an impact substitute during the early stages of last season by Erik ten Hag. He did feature in pre-season, but it never looked likely that he would break into the first team, especially after the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo last season. This looks like a great opportunity to get his career back on track.
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