Bharath Rammr
Everton are up against a hurdle when it comes to signing Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United. The Frenchman is widely expected to leave Old Trafford in this January transfer window and may not even remain at the club until the transfer deadline day. A whole host of clubs have been linked with the 27-year-old. Everton are thought to have agreed a £19 million deal, which could rise to £22 million depending on performances, with United. West Brom tabled a £15 million offer several weeks ago before increasing it to £18 million.
Just when it seemed that the Everton move was done and dusted, a snag has been created with United demanding £20 million as a base fee in addition to the £3 million of performance-related bonuses, according to Independent. The Red Devils are very reluctant to incur a loss on the player. Schneiderlin was signed from Southampton for £24 million by former boss Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2015. Even though he was a key figure in Van Gaal’s last season at the club, he has been completely out of the first-team reckoning under José Mourinho.
It has been surprising that the Portuguese manager has not decided to utilise the services of a player who has great experience of the English league. Despite being a Frenchman, Schneiderlin has been with Southampton since 2008 and has represented the south coast club in numerous divisions. Mourinho recently praised the professional attitude of Schneiderlin even though he has not been featured in the first team as often as he would have liked. The Frenchman has had just 11 minutes of league football this season, and he last completed 90 minutes of action back on September 15 against Feyenoord.
Schneiderlin was expected to undergo a medical at Goodison Park on Friday, but the move has been postponed due to the lack of an agreement between the two clubs. West Brom could take advantage of the situation by increasing their offer, although the Midlands club have been highly irritated by United’s stance over Schneiderlin. In a bid to get as much fee as possible, United have been criticised of creating a bidding war between the clubs. In order to avoid such a scenario, West Brom have given a deadline for United to come with a reply.
In the last couple of years, United have taken a major hit on players like Angel di Maria. Another loss on a player signed less than two years ago would be seen as a catastrophe. Despite the vast financial resources available at the disposal of United, even they cannot afford to make losses on a number of players. The UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations are still very much controlling every element of the club’s finances.
