Man Utd 'prepare swap deal' to land £60m-rated player for cut-price fee

Manchester United are preparing a cash-plus-player swap deal involving Aaron Wan-Bisakka and Crystal Palace sensation Michael Olise, according to reports.

The Eagles were dealt a fresh blow last weekend when their talisman hobbled off at full-time nursing his hamstring. Olise had scored twice in the game to put Brentford to the sword but could now miss the rest of January.

Despite playing for a side sitting six points above the relegation zone, the 22-year-old’s stock has risen since returning from a previous hamstring injury. Five goals in nine games from out wide has helped Palace stay above the bottom three while amplifying noises about his future.

Eagles boss Roy Hodgson came under criticism for keeping him on the pitch against Brentford but he insisted the setback is unrelated to the problem when kept Olise sidelined for the first three months of the season. He said post-match: “This has got nothing to do with the (first injury). It is much lower down (his hamstring)]. It is nowhere near where he injured himself.

“It’s not a reoccurrence. You’ve got to be careful with players. You’ve got to be more and more careful these days. There are longer periods in the game where there’s inactivity because of VAR and longer matches.

“We’re coming off a period now where we just played three matches in a week for a couple of weeks in succession, so you are aware of all of those things. But the fact is that, unfortunately, you can’t run your team totally scientifically.”

Reports have linked Olise with United in recent weeks but injury woes do provide cause for concern. Antony has failed to justify his £85million price tag while Jadon Sancho remains persona non grata at Old Trafford.

The Daily Star claim United would offer former Palace man Wan-Bissaka as part of any deal to sign Olise. A boyhood fan, the Red Devils signed the right-back for £50million in 2019 but he has failed to develop as expected. He had his contract extended by the club until the summer of 2025, meaning he will not be allowed to leave for free at the end of this season.

Olise has a hefty £60million price tag in his contract and the piece suggests United would prefer to avoid that fee and go down the swap deal route. Born in London but representing France at Under-21 level, the winger penned a contract extension at Selhurst Park in August to negate interest from Chelsea.