Man Utd succeed with exit request as details emerge of amazing clause in confirmed sale

Manchester United successfully changed the terms of their sale of Hannibal Mejbri in late stages of negotiations, and after Burnley announced the signing of the midfielder, details have been shared about how the deal could further benefit the Red Devils.

Mejbri has been announced as a new Burnley player on Wednesday, bringing an end to his five years on the books of Manchester United.

The Tunisia international originally signed for Man Utd’s academy from Monaco in 2019. After 13 appearances for the first team and loan spells at Birmingham City and Sevilla, Mejbri has now left the club for a third time.

But in a surprise twist, Mejbri’s move to Burnley is a permanent one, rather than the loan deal that was expected – and the inside story of how that changed has come to light.

Originally, it was thought that Burnley would sign Mejbri on loan with an obligation to buy him next summer. However, they have in fact signed him permanently now, with their announcement confirming he has signed a four-year contract at Turf Moor.

Although the transfer fee is undisclosed, it has been reported as £5.4m rising to £9.4m with bonuses.

As revealed recently by Fabrizio Romano, the change of formula is down to Man Utd themselves, since they requested late in negotiations for the move to be a permanent one in order to receive the funds earlier.

Since Mejbri was due to be out of contract in 2025 anyway, a permanent sale always made more sense for them this summer.

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And some further clever transfer tactics mean Man Utd could stand to gain even more money from Mejbri’s move – and, precisely, his next one.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd have successfully negotiated a sell-on clause that will entitle them to up to 50% – although the percentage will reduce over time – of the money Burnley make when Mejbri makes the next move of his career.

Yet that next move could still be back to Man Utd, since they are also said to have secured a buyback clause for the 21-year-old. They will have the right to match any offers that Burnley later receive for Mejbri.

Mejbri explains why he chose Burnley

For now, his focus will be firmly on his new challenge in the Championship with Scott Parker’s side, who are one of the favourites for promotion after coming down from the Premier League last season.

Speaking to Burnley’s official website, Mejbri said: “I’m very excited. Very happy to be here and I can’t wait to see the fans.

“I have played against Burnley before at Turf Moor and the atmosphere was amazing.

“After speaking to the coach the project sounded good to me and hopefully we can make success.”

This is Mejbri’s second stint in the Championship after his aforementioned spell with Birmingham, where he made 41 appearances.

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