Man Utd set to sell star 'involved in training ground fight' as transfer request submitted

Manchester United are reportedly ready to axe two more stars after Facundo Pellistri as Erik ten Hag looks to raise funds to spend on his squad in the final weeks of the transfer window.

The Dutchman has already brought in four signings at a cost of £160million, with Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee arriving at the club.

Ten Hag wants at least one more player and his top target is PSG star Manuel Ugarte. United, however, are hamstrung by profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) and need to sell to balance the books.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United will attempt to offload Victor Lindelof and Hannibal Mejbri to fund further signings in the transfer window.

United triggered extension clauses in their contracts to keep them at the club for another year in December 2023, and it appears United now want to try and raise as much money as possible from the duo’s departure.

As it stands, the pair could leave for free next summer, a situation United would like to avoid. Lindelof and Mejbri were both left out of the 20-man squad for the 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday, though both have been included in pre-season training.

Lindelof has since a devoted member of the squad over the course of his seven years at Old Trafford and made over 250 appearances for the club. But his position has come under threat with the arrivals of De Ligt and Yoro.

The Swede has attracted interest from Fenerbahce, who are now managed by Jose Mourinho. The Turkish club may be willing to negotiate a cut-price fee for Lindelof, with Mourinho keen to sign the player he brought to Manchester from Benfica for £38m in 2017.

The 30-year-old is also wanted by Serie A outfit Fiorentina, however, and may view the opportunity to remain in Europe’s top five leagues as more attractive than reuniting with Mourinho.

United are keen to sell Lindelof in this summer window, as he will be free to negotiate terms with an overseas club from January 1 and potentially negotiate a bigger payday for himself in the process.

United have been trying to offload Mejbri, 21, for some time as the Tunisia international struggled to lock down a regular spot under Ten Hag. He settled for a season-long loan move to Sevilla but couldn’t break into the Spanish club’s first team either under Quique Sanchez Flores.

The Red Devils are now prepared to cash in with Old Firm duo Celtic and Rangers both keen on a permanent deal for Mejbri, with interest also emanating from Italy and Spain.

Mejbri was once reportedly involved in an ugly training ground incident with team-mate Alex Telles as the pair came to blows according to the Daily Mail. The spat became so heated that their former boss Ralf Rangnick was forced to cancel the rest of the session.

Tunisian outlet BuzzNewsTunisia have also claimed that Hannibal submitted a transfer request amid interest from across Europe, with the midfielder’s time in Manchester set to come to an end this summer.