Leeds United join Burnley in Man Utd midfielder race | OneFootball

Hannibal Mejbri is believed to be on the Whites' radar, but they aren't the favourites to win this race.

Leeds United have taken an interest in Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.

This is according to the Daily Mail (21/8 paper edition; page 61), who believe that the Whites are outsiders in the race for his signature, but are keen on the player.

Hannibal only has a fairly limited amount of senior experience under his belt, but he has appeared for the Red Devils' first team before and has gone out on loan a couple of times.

Spending the 2022/23 campaign at Birmingham City, he played his role in keeping the Midlands side afloat in the Championship and did enough to earn himself a loan move to Sevilla in January 2024.

His impact in Spain was limited, but the Tunisia international's experience there would have been valuable.

His future is currently unclear at this stage though, with the midfielder unlikely to be one of the first names on the teamsheet under Erik ten Hag during the 2024/25 campaign.

With others ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford, it's believed that United could let the player go during this transfer window.

And according to a report from the Manchester Evening News, ten Hag's side would prefer a sale, rather than a loan deal.

With United potentially open to his exit, Hannibal has just over a week to secure an exit before the domestic window closes and thankfully for him, he is thought to be the subject of interest from other teams.

Leeds United take interest in Hannibal Mejbri

Leeds are in need of more midfield options at this point, with Archie Gray and Glen Kamara both being sold this summer, Marc Roca also securing a permanent exit, Darko Gyabi securing a loan exit and the likes of Lewis Bate and Jamie Shackleton being released.

These departures have left the Whites short of options in the middle of the park.

New loanee Joe Rothwell may be able to play there, along with Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu, but more depth will be required to boost the club's promotion chances.

According to the Daily Mail's report (via MOT Leeds News), Leeds are eyeing a move for Hannibal, who could be an expensive addition for the West Yorkshire side.

At this stage though, Burnley are still believed to be in "pole position" to get a deal over the line for the United man.

Leeds have generated a huge amount in sale revenue this summer.

Although they probably need to offload a couple of players to balance the books, it wouldn't be a surprise if they have a lot of money to spend now.

The sale of Georginio Rutter could have increased Daniel Farke's budget further and that could give them the funds needed to sign Hannibal.

With United seemingly preferring a sale, Leeds may need to fork out a considerable amount to get him.