Man Utd set to allow first team player to leave in January

Manchester United are expecting Aaron Wan-Bissaka to leave the club in January and are considering their options at present over how they replace the right-back, 90min understands.

Wan-Bissaka has been essentially cast aside since the arrival of Erik ten Hag, with the £50m signing from Crystal Palace in 2019 losing his place to the in-form Diogo Dalot, and left-footed Tyrell Malacia often used as his understudy. It was expected Wan-Bissaka would leave in the summer, though a move failed to materialise.

Former club Crystal Palace have been considered as the 25-year-old’s most likely destination, and that remains the case. Developments are expected on Wan-Bissaka’s future after the turn of the year.

Ten Hag is understood to be convinced of Dalot’s qualities after his performances in the first half of the season, though United would be light in that department without Wan-Bissaka. A number of options are being considered by United but they do see Dalot as a viable long-term starting option and any new arrival would come in to compete with him or complement his position.

How big United go on the position in January is what is currently being decided on, though sources indicate some movement is likely. Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen and Inter’s Denzel Dumfries remain of interest and would represent expensive options, while the likes of Celtic’s Josip Juranovic and Lyon’s Malo Gusto are potentially lower cost targets also being monitored.

Sergino Dest, on loan at Milan from Barcelona with a buy option, has also been of interest to United in the past.

January is known as a difficult window to pull off top-tier signings, and another alternative to United is to hold any deal until the summer – with an option to recall Ethan Laird, on loan with QPR in the Championship, also available to them.

Dalot is out of contract in the summer, though United have the option to extend his contract by a year and that is expected to be triggered on January 1, with talks over a longer-term extension due to happen in the new year. United want Dalot to stay and develop after a successful season so far under Ten Hag.

Marcus Rashford is a player in a similar contract situation to Dalot, though there is optimism and continued talks over a long-term extension to the England international’s contract after the World Cup. United are confident an agreement will be reached, though do have the fall back option of an extension trigger should they require more time.

Rashford and Dalot could meet in the World Cup semi-finals if England and Portugal progress through their last eight ties in Qatar on Saturday.