Man United 'eye' ex-Chelsea man as club willing to trigger €40m release clause

The January transfer window is already starting to gather pace and for Manchester United, the next few weeks could be critical. The Red Devils find themselves sitting eighth in the Premier League table and they’ll have high hopes of finding the new faces needed to be able to improve on their situation.

Monday night’s FA Cup clash with Wigan Athletic takes priority for now, with Erik ten Hag focusing on matters on the field. The manager will be keen to see progress made off the field in the coming weeks though and with that in mind, here’s a round-up of the latest transfer headlines coming out of Old Trafford.

United target Barcelona man

Man United and Newcastle United are keeping tabs on Andreas Christensen’s situation at Barcelona. That’s according to Spanish outlet Sport, who claim the defender could find himself out of the picture under Xavi in Catalonia, with the Barca manager preferring to progress with a defensive partnership of Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo.

As such, Christensen, who joined Barcelona from Chelsea in 2022, could be made available in the summer with the two English clubs named as potential suitors. The Denmark international has made 15 La Liga appearances this season with his latest coming against Las Palmas on Thursday night, but the report claims his prominence has waned, and, given he joined on a free transfer, any profit from his sale would bolster the club’s financial fair play position.

Mejbri on the move

Manchester United expect to see Hannibal Mejbri leave the club this month on loan in order to pursue regular game time away from Old Trafford. The midfielder has been used sparingly by ten Hag this season and The Guardian claims a loan move may well be on the cards as he looks to develop his game.

Premier League outfit Everton are one club said to be keen on the Tunisia international, while Sevilla are also interested in taking the youngster. Mejbri has made five Premier League appearances this season but with United out of two cup competitions already, his chances could be few and far between over the second half of the campaign should he stay in Manchester.

Eyes on Guerra

United have registered an interest in signing Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra, according to Catalan news outlet El Nacional. The report claims the Red Devils face competition for his signature, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid among those looking for him, but the Old Trafford outfit have shown the strongest interest.

It is also claimed that United are willing to meet the centre midfielder’s €40m release clause as the club look to bolster their options in the middle of the park. Guerra, who is a Spain U21 international, has been a key man for Valencia this season making 17 La Liga appearances and scoring three goals.