Manchester United agree £9.4m deal for 21-year-old star
Manchester United have parted ways with another academy product this summer, agreeing to sell Hannibal Mejbri to Burnley.
The Red Devils have seemingly adopted a ruthless approach when it comes to planning the futures of their academy stars during the ongoing transfer window, having permanently sold a number of fan-favourite academy players.
Willy Kambwala, Alvaro Fernandez, and Will Fish have all been shown the exit door this summer. On Wednesday, United confirmed they have also bid farewell to Hannibal Mejbri.
The Tunisian midfielder departs Carrington five years after moving to Manchester from AS Monaco.
Burnley sign Manchester United talent in a £9.4m deal
According to BBC, Hannibal Mejbri joins the Clarets on a four-year contract. Further, the Championship outfit have agreed to pay an initial £5.4m fee potentially rising to £9.4m with add-ons.
The 239th graduate from United’s famed academy leaves after making 13 appearances for the Red Devils’ senior side. He also scored once goal for the club—a brilliant long-range strike against Brighton and Hove Albion last season.
“I’m very excited,” he told Burnley’s website. “Very happy to be here and I can’t wait to see the fans. I have played against Burnley before at Turf Moor and the atmosphere was amazing.”
The 21-year-old earned plenty of plaudits from the United faithful for his combative style of play during his time at Old Trafford. Fans will certainly hope he replicates the same attitude and realizes his full potential at Burnley.
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Meanwhile, Mejbri is unlikely to be the last academy graduate to exit United permanently this summer.
The club’s hierarchy have also reached an agreement with Napoli to sell Scott McTominay. According to Fabrizio Romano, a deal is “in place for €30m package plus sell-on clause.”
McTominay is expected to travel to Italy on Thursday before putting pen to paper on his contract. He will reunite with former United striker Romelu Lukaku in Naples.