United prepare new £175,000-a-week contract for midfielder

Manchester United have reportedly opened contract talks with Ander Herrera over signing a new deal until 2021.

The 27-year-old has become a key cog in Jose Mourinho’s engine room and he was the club’s player of the year, making 50 appearances, scoring once last season.

He arrived for £29million from Athletic Bilbao in 2014 and signed a four-year deal worth £100,000-a-week, but United officials are keen to tie him down at Old Trafford after interest from Barcelona.

And the Daily Star reports Ed Woodward is preparing a new four-year deal worth around £175,000-a-week.

Catalan paper Sport earlier this month reported that new Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde would turn to Herrera and Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez if he could not lure PSG star Marco Verratti to the Camp Nou.

But the Daily Mail claimed Herrera “is fully concentrated on his career at Manchester United and has no desire to leave this summer”.

Reports in Spain suggested Herrera would be available for £35.2million, but The Independent reported United would not sell him for that money and it would take a bid of around £60million for them to even consider a deal.

After stalling at United under previous boss Louis van Gaal, Herrera has developed into a key performer for United with Mourinho allowing the player to play further forward.

Before Michael Carrick was named club captain yesterday, there was talk in May of the Spaniard being handed the United armband – an honour Herrera said he was not worthy of.

“I prefer to keep calm and to keep my mind calm because I feel that I still have to do more for the club. I still have to win things for the club to deserve that. So I will keep calm.

“We also have some experienced players on the team, who have been here longer, like Chris Smalling, David De Gea, also Juan [Mata] came before me. So I am thankful to the fans for thinking that about me but I don’t want to think about it yet,” said Herrera.