Jesse Lingard could be on his way out of Old Trafford in January, if a new report is to be believed.
Lingard will be entering the last six months of his contract in January and with no sign of agreement on an extension, the Red Devils could be looking to cash in on the versatile forward player in the winter window.
The Sun claims that £10 million could now be enough to land the England international.
‘When West Ham tried to sign him in the last window, after a successful loan move, United insisted they wanted £25m,’ the outlet points out.
‘That was £7m more than the Hammers were willing to pay.
‘And Lingard himself was keen to prove he still had an Old Trafford future.
‘But after only eight appearances – and a solitary start in the League Cup – the attacker is no nearer to winning a regular slot, and has dragged his heels over signing a new deal.’
It would certainly make sense for United to cash in on a player who seems surplus to requirements if they believe that he will not sign the contract on the table.
However, in the current financial climate, £10 million would be a lot for a club to find if they believed they could sign the player for free just six months later.
It is unknown as to whether the 28-year-old is holding out for more money from United or whether he is determined to leave in order to get regular first team football.
He may also be waiting to see the fate of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and could believe he would have more first team opportunities under a new boss.
For their part, United have a tendency to offer fringe players new contracts to protect their market value, but this has been a policy that has cost them dearly in some cases. The likes of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Andreas Pereira have not been moved on and command wages that are hard to match by other clubs, leaving the Red Devils in a stalemate situation.
The same could happen with Lingard, so whether or not The Sun’s report is an accurate reflection of United’s intentions, it would probably make sense for all concerned if a transfer were to happen, even at a much reduced value.