Reports | Manchester United set to sign teenage wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri
Manchester United are about to sign Monaco wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri for ÂŁ9million, according to reports from France. The teenager has been forcing a move away from Monaco all summer, after his family had a row with Monaco officials. The terms have been agreed at ÂŁ4.5m upfront and ÂŁ4.5m in bonuses.
Le Parisien reports that Manchester United used their French players, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial to convince wunderkid Hannibal Mejbri to join them. Although Mejbri is under contract at Ligue 1 Monaco until June 2021, the player’s family hopes to have his contract annulled. The teenager’s father - former Tunisia International, Lofti - has said that an issue of trust is the main reason as to why he wants his son to leave the French side. Â
Reports claim that the 16-year old’s contract was not ratified properly. Lofti claimed: "Something bad happened. For our family, it was very hard to live. It's a real shock, a trauma. There were mistakes made and, from there, I consider the relationship of trust between the club and our family destroyed."
The 16-year old’s family has been looking for a new club since January. Things were made complicated by the fact that Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were also keen on a move. But, it looks like Manchester United have now emerged as the frontrunners for the U-16 star, who is yet to play for Monaco's first team.
But that hasn't stopped France, with Mejbri capped eight times for the French U-16 side. The 16-year-old is also reportedly represented by superstar agent Jorge Mendes, who also manages some of the biggest stars in world football.
