Manchester United transfer news as Fabrizio Romano shares Hannibal Mejbri to Everton update
Fabrizio Romano says the situation Hannibal Mejbri finds himself in is “strange” as the Manchester United midfielder makes a decision on whether to join Everton or Sevilla.
Sharing an update on Hannibal’s future via The United Stand podcast [8 January, 8m 45s], Romano confirmed Everton have attempted to hijack Sevilla’s loan agreement for the Tunisia international.
The transfer expert also added that Hannibal will have the final say on his future, with a decision now looking very close to being made.
“For Hannibal it is a very special situation, strange,” Romano said. “He decided not to go to AFCON because he wanted to play for his new club as soon as possible, so this week will be important to decide his future.
“He almost decided his future between Friday and Saturday because he had proposals from Lyon, Freiburg and Sevilla. He told Sevilla I want to join you on loan, but then after a few hours, Everton approached the player and Manchester United over a loan deal.
“Now it’s up to the player – Hannibal must decide if he is going to respect his pacts with Sevilla, or consider his possibility of staying in the Premier League with Everton.
“This is going to be the player’s decision. It’s important to see what deal Manchester United accept because these clubs want to include the option to buy, but United will likely include a but-back clause, so there is still work to do before Hannibal goes.”
Smart business
Hannibal looks to have a very bright future ahead of him and it is clear that he is a man in demand.
The fact that he has not yet joined Sevilla is a positive as it means he is seriously considering the proposal tabled by Everton.
The Man United youngster needs to be selfish and not worry about upsetting Sevilla by backtracking on a personal agreement.
If he feels a move to Goodison Park is the best choice for him, go for it. Everton have a history of helping youngsters blossom and Hannibal may be next.
It is unclear if Everton are one of the clubs that are looking to include an option to buy in the contract, but that is certainly an avenue worth going down.
Loan deals are the order of the day this month and Hannibal is a player who already has Premier League experience – albeit limited – meaning he should be ready to hit the ground running.
Given he skipped AFCON duty in order to get going for his new club, you would expect a decision to now be made in the coming days.
In other Everton news, the Toffees must decide now whether to move for a multiple cup-winning player amid reported interest from a European giant.