Record price set as Wan-Bissaka forces Palace hand over Man Utd bid

Crystal Palace have reportedly told Manchester United it will take a world-record fee for a full-back if they want to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka amid claims the defender has told the club he wants to make the move.

With a near £18million swoop for Swansea winger Dan James poised to be confirmed this week, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has turned his attentions towards the Palace star as he begins his search to recruit a long-term successor to Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young at right-back.

However, United’s opening gambit – reported to be £40m – has, according to Sky Sports, been flatly rejected by the Eagles board, who have told United they have ‘no intentions’ of selling the 21-year-old star this summer.

United had reportedly been hoping to convince Palace to sell the star for somewhere between £40m–£50m – but Palace’s initial rejection has left the club pondering alternatives: Kieran Trippier, Napoli’s Elseid Hysaj, or PSG’s Thomas Meunier all of whom look more readily available for transfers this summer have been mentioned, while reports on Tuesday suggested they are ready to turn to Norwich’s impressive young star Max Aarons.

However, according to the The Sun, Palace’s efforts to keep the player have suffered a huge setback after Wan-Bissaka told the Eagles he wants to leave Selhurst Park this summer and make a “dream move” to Old Trafford.

And the report claims the Eagles have responded by informing United that they will demand a world-record fee for a full-back if they want to prise him away from south-east London. The paper reports that Palace have set United a £60million fee for the 21-year-old, who is tipped to force his way into the England squad next season.

Should United meet the Eagles’ valuation, that would shatter the world-record fee for a full-back; the benchmark currently set by the £52m Manchester City paid Monaco for Benjamin Mendy in summer 2017.

But with a number of other key positions to strengthen – most notably in goal and in midfield – Palace’s sky-high valuation for Wan-Bissaka gives United with something of a transfer headache.

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