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West Ham United have “opened talks” over a move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka with Manchester United demanding a minimum of £15 million to sign the right-back.
The former Crystal Palace man fell down the ranks at Old Trafford last season with Erik ten Hag clearly preferring Diogo Dalot as his first-choice full-back on the right.
However, the injury crisis which plagued the United dressing room was felt most acutely at left-back, with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia ruled out for long periods of the year. This often forced Ten Hag to field one of Wan-Bissaka or Dalot at left-back to deputise for their injured team-mates.
As a result, Wan-Bissaka ended the season with thirty appearances in all competition, despite suffering his own injuries towards the start of the year.
The 26-year-old’s most impressive performance came in the final game of the season – the emphatic FA Cup final triumph over local rivals Manchester City. Deployed at right-back, with Dalot on the opposite flank, Wan-Bissaka was excellent, helping to effectively shut down the tricky Jeremy Doku (only for an Andre Onana mistake to allow the Belgian to score with a speculative long-range effort).
It was a timely reminder of how, in the right circumstances, Wan-Bissaka still retains a lot of value as a full-back.
However, with United’s coaching staff hoping to see the return of both Shaw and Malacia in pre-season, as well as the continued form of Dalot, Wan-Bissaka’s role is likely to be reduced next season.
Furthermore, the 26-year-old only has one year remaining on his deal. This means he is able to talk to prospective new clubs about a free transfer next summer from January.
As such, this summer represents United’s last chance to salvage a transfer fee for a player unlikely to play a major role in Ten Hag’s squad this season.
This, therefore, explains why Old Trafford officials are willing to sanction a departure for Wan-Bissaka at the surprisingly cheap price of £15 million – a transfer fee which appears to have put West Ham on red-alert.
West Ham have opened talks to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Manchester United want a minimum of £15m.⚒️
🤝 @alex_crook @talkSPORT pic.twitter.com/p5vFJC50og
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 17, 2024
Ben Jacobs, a correspondent for TalkSPORT and Give Me Sport, reveals on X that West Ham have “opened talks to sign” the full-back with United wanting a “minimum of £15 million.”
From the Red Devils perspective, they have been linked with a move for Fenerbahçe full-back Ferdi Kadioglu with a £21 million bid thought to have been submitted last week.
The Turkish international, who enjoyed a stellar European Championship, is a technically gifted footballer, capable of playing full-back on either flank. He would, therefore, represent an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka as he would be more suited to Ten Hag’s possession-based style, as well as providing better cover for left-back, in the (likely) event Shaw and Malacia face relapses in their recoveries.
