Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia is on the verge of putting pen to paper on a Manchester United contract after telling Olympique Lyon that he has decided to join the English club, according to reports.
French outlet L’Equipe broke the news in the late hours of Tuesday after reports of United hijacking the all but done deal between Malacia and Lyon circulated earlier in the day.
The Dutch left-back was brought up as a target for United in recent months but with the club’s focus solely on Frenkie de Jong to start the summer, the 22-year-old was set to commit his future to the seven-time French champions.
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The move was so close to materializing that it even got the famous “Here We Go” from Fabrizio Romano on June 25. The Italian transfer insider very rarely goes back on his word once dropping the three magic words but United’s late and unlikely emergence as players in the deal forced his hand.
Romano reported that Feyenoord had accepted Lyon’s bid of €12 million with an additional €3 million coming in add-ons.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the English Channel, there were rumours that United’s somewhat underwhelming transfer activity thus far would ramp up once de Jong’s signature was sealed and delivered.
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And while there hasn’t been an official confirmation from either club, United entering the fray and virtually snatching Malacia — who is managed by the same agency as De Jong — from in front of Lyon’s noses is a suggestion that the Dutch midfielder may well be packing his bags for Manchester.
Reluctantly, or so you’d figure, Romano came back to Twitter on Tuesday to report that United outbid Lyon with a €17 million total offer — €15 million up front and €2 million in add-ons. Immediately after, Malacia’s agents entered talks with United to discuss personal terms.
While talks were ongoing behind closed doors, Feyenoord’s sporting director, Frank Arnesen, spoke to the Dutch press and confirmed that his club did in fact reach an agreement with United, confirming the reported values and revealing that it was all up to the player.
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Arnesen said: “The agreement is there. We now await Tyrell. If he says yes, then a move to United is imminent.”
That’s when L’Equipe stepped in. Albeit not confirmed yet by any other sources, the French newspaper reported that Malacia’s decision has been made and that Lyon have been made aware of the 22-year-old’s intentions to join United on Tuesday.
L’Equipe also revealed that Lyon attempted a re-hijack after the player’s head had been turned by matching Feyenoord’s initial valuation of Malacia which was a total of €16 million. However, at that point, it was too late.
In the same report, it is said that internally, Lyon felt as though Malacia’s agents wanted to see their player go to the Premier League and used Lyon as a cog to push United into action. The Reds obliged after seemingly securing their main target earlier in the day.
Malacia scored once and added five assists for the Dutch giants in all competitions last season and he will be a welcome addition to a United side desperately needing strength in depth. He figures to be challenging Luke Shaw for the starting spot with new United boss Erik ten Hag a big admirer of his talent.
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Seemingly out of the blue, Malacia could very well become United’s first official signing of the summer as finalising the fine details of the De Jong deal may stretch into the early days of July.
But nonetheless, United fans will be pleased that the Old Trafford side now seem awake and ready to do more smart business in the transfer market.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Transfers, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Erik Ten Hag, Feyenoord, Lyon, Premier League
