Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will reportedly be allowed to sign a new right-back in January - if they can offload Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The 24-year-old defender has played just four minutes of football this season after picking up a back injury. He returned to the bench for United's 1-0 win against Real Sociedad last Thursday but was left out of the squad for Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Wan-Bissaka was signed from Crystal Palace for £50million in the summer of 2019 and played 100 games for United during his first two seasons. He was dropped midway through last term in favour of Diogo Dalot and is yet to regain his place in the starting XI.
As reported by The Telegraph, Ten Hag wants to sign a new right-back in January to provide Dalot with some competition. United are only expected to sanction the transfer if the Dutchman can find a new club for Wan-Bissaka in the coming weeks.
United will not recuperate the £50m they spent on Wan-Bissaka in January. A loan deal is the most realistic option and there are likely to be many Premier League clubs interested in the player. Palace and West Ham are the favourites for his signature.
The biggest question potential suitors will have is how fit Wan-Bissaka is after playing such little football this season. One way for Ten Hag to prove the player's fitness is by starting the defender in their EFL Cup tie against Villa at Old Trafford on Thursday.
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Those clubs interested in Wan-Bissaka will be concerned if he doesn't get a run out in the cup competition. Ten Hag may also decide to start him in United's final Premier League fixture before the World Cup starts. They travel to Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
According to The Sun, United will allow Wan-Bissaka to re-join Palace in January if the Londoners can cover the bulk of his reported £80,000-a-week salary. Whether Palace are willing to use that much of their budget on a right-back remains to be seen.
Veterans Joel Ward, 33, and Nathaniel Clyne, 31, are currently sharing the right-back role in Patrick Vieira's team and they may want to identify a long-term option. Wan-Bissaka would be a brilliant option, as he won their Player of the Year award in 2018/19.
Furthermore, his best footballing years are still ahead of him. Wan-Bissaka turns 25 this month and would be confident of regaining his form at his boyhood club. He joined Palace aged 11 and played 42 Premier League games for Palace before moving to Old Trafford.
Wan-Bissaka still has two years remaining on his existing deal. Untied have the option to extend the player's contract by a further 12 months. Dalot, meanwhile, is out of contract at the end of this season. United can also automatically extend his deal by 12 months.
United are hoping to tie down Dalot to a new-long term contract. Any extension is unlikely to be announced before the World Cup in Qatar finishes on December 18, as Dalot will be concentrating on winning the tournament with Portugal.
