Bharath Rammr
Manchester United are believed to be in the process of entering into advanced contract negotiations with midfielder Michael Carrick. The talks will take place after the EFL Cup final against Southampton. Carrick is out of contract at the end of the season. Recent rumours claimed that the 35-year-old will be capped at Old Trafford only if he agrees to a much-reduced wage packet. At £130,000 per week, Carrick is one of the high earners at the club. However, United are not ready to pay the midfielder – even though he is a first team regular this season – anywhere close to this figure.
The former Tottenham midfielder is set to be offered a contract worth around £70,000 per week, much less than what he would earn at a Chinese or a MLS club. Aware of such negotiations, Arsenal are believed to be keeping close tabs on the situation. The gunners are looking to add some steel in the midfield especially with midfielder Santi Cazorla likely to be on his way out at the end of the season. United, though, are confident that a deal can be achieved considering that Carrick would actually prefer to stay in Manchester, where he has been holding up for more than a decade.
Chief Executive Ed Woodward recently claimed that the club will not be churning out new signings in the same pace as they have done in the last five years. The big spending days at the club may not be over, as the club continued to be linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann. However, that will be significantly lower new faces at the club in the summer. It means that keeping existing players is a priority. Carrick could be one of the important faces in the squad, as he could transfer his incredible experience to the likes of Paul Pogba.
Since moving to United in the summer of 2006, Carrick has been a mainstay in the United first team. He has won numerous Premier League titles, FA Cup, and the League Cup titles at the club. However, one of his cherished moments happens to be the Champions League final in 2008 when he lifted the trophy for the first time in his career. Carrick, though, was also part of the team that reached the final in the subsequent seasons only to lose to the likes of Barcelona.
Carrick signed a 12-year-old contract extension only the summer, and he is likely to do a similar job in the coming weeks. Manager Jose Mourinho is likely to use the midfielder in a starting role for the EFL Cup game.
