Sources: Rangers in talks over Man Utd signing but big obstacle must be overcome

Rangers and Manchester United are in talks over a deal for youngster Hannibal Mejbri – but both teams may need to make concessions for a move to take place, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Hannibal joined Man United‘s academy in 2019 from Monaco, despite interest from Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

The midfielder, who represented France at Under-16 and 17 level before switching to Tunisia at senior level in 2021, reportedly signed for the Red Devils for a fee in the region of £4.2m, potentially rising to £8.4m in add-ons.

The signs were looking good for the teenager when he won United’s Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award for the Under-21s in 2021 and made his senior debut in May of that year.

A productive loan spell at Birmingham City then followed in the 2022/23 Championship campaign, with Hannibal making 41 appearances for the Blues.

DON’T MISS: Man Utd primed to poach outrageous Arsenal star after Arteta’s worst fears confirmed

However, the last year has been less fruitful for the France-born player. Despite making 10 appearances in all competitions for United last season, he never looked like becoming a regular in the first-team.

He was then shipped out on loan to La Liga side Sevilla for the second half of the campaign, at a time when Everton were keen on bringing him to Goodison Park, but that did not go to plan.

Hannibal made just six appearances for the Spanish outfit and just a few weeks into his loan move, then-manager Quique Sanchez Flores jettisoned him from the first-team squad.

In January, he said: “After being with him, talking to him and having seen his first minutes in Girona, we are going to give him the necessary space to understand where he is, that he is at Sevilla and what it means.

“In the end they are kids who have come and suddenly land in a huge club like Sevilla in circumstances of maximum demand. And they need a bit of location. And that location may be seen better from the outside than from the inside. You should take a step to understand what we want.

READ MORE: Ten Hag in dreamland as Man Utd close on signings three and four after fantastic double update

“Let’s see if the boy applies himself and I think that in the end he will understand perfectly what we want.”

Rangers eye Man Utd’s Hannibal

Fast forward to the present and the 21-year-old, who has made 13 appearances for United and scored one goal in all competitions, is seemingly heading for the Old Trafford exit.

TEAMtalk can reveal United and Rangers are in talks over signing Hannibal but the latter are seeking a loan deal, with the possibility of buying him at the end of that.

The Red Devils, however, want to secure a permanent exit for the 5ft 10 in player, who has also been linked with a move to Copenhagen.

Our sources understand that negotiations between the two British teams have been positive but Rangers are unlikely to go as high as the £7m minimum United want for him.

GO DEEPER: Sensational £117m Man Utd double swoop on cards as deal ‘closed’; third star shuts down exit rumours

Hannibal is into the last year of his contract at Old Trafford and it seems he is not in manager Erik ten Hag’s plans for the new season.

They don’t want to lose him on a free transfer, especially after spending a significant fee for him in the first place. Unless both teams make concessions, a possible deal could collapse.

Rangers are overhauling much of their squad this summer, with a whole host of exits and arrivals ahead of the new Scottish Premier League campaign. Whether Hannibal will be part of this new era remains to be seen.