Manchester United considering selling Isak Hansen-Aarøen before window closes | OneFootball

Manchester United are considering selling highly-rated teenager Isak Hansen-Aarøen in the final days of the transfer window as contract negotiations with the Norwegian have stalled.

Hansen-Aarøen’s current deal is set to expire in the summer, meaning the January window is the last opportunity for the club to command a transfer fee for his departure.

If the 19-year-old was to depart at the end of season on a free, United would still be entitled to some form of compensation owing to FIFA regulations designed to encourage player development.

Hansen-Aarøen relocated to Old Trafford from Tromsø – a first-division Norwegian side – in August 2020, as a 15-year-old youth player. He signed his first professional contract with the club a year later.

As such, if the midfielder was to join another team at the end of his contract, United would be entitled to compensation from his new employers for their role in his development. This fee is very unlikely to be as much as they would receive for a transfer this month, however.

It would also not include the selection of favourable clauses Old Trafford officials have consistently applied when selling young players in recent windows, such as a potential buy-back option or a percentage of any future sale.

The Manchester Evening News reports contract negotiations between the club and Hansen-Aarøen’s representatives are “ongoing”. However, it appears increasingly unlikely an agreement will be struck, despite willingness from both sides.

The midfielder is highly regarded at Old Trafford, with sources indicating the coaching staff would “love to keep the Norwegian teenager”.

Similarly, Hansen-Aarøen is believed to be open to staying as he would “love to make things work at United”, but is dismayed by the lack of opportunities afforded to him in the senior squad. This confirms a report relayed by The Peoples Person earlier this month of the player’s “frustrations“.

The Norwegian is still awaiting his first-team debut. He has also regularly seen other academy graduates included in Erik ten Hag’s match-day squads ahead of him, despite partaking in first team training and being included in the club’s pre-season tour of America last summer.

From United’s perspective, they want Hansen-Aarøen to sign a new four-and-a-half-year deal, tying him ot the club until June 2028. The Manchester Evening News reveals this uncertainty over a “pathway to the first team”, as well as the prospect of much better money elsewhere, are the two major obstacles to this deal.

“United want the Norwegian to sign a new four-and-a-half-year deal but the terms offered so far do not come close to packages he could expect to receive elsewhere and he is unconvinced by his own pathway to the first team. United initially hoped Hansen-Aarøen would sign a new contract with the club this month and be sent on loan.”

Instead, it appears increasingly likely the club will choose to cash in on the highly-rated youngster, rather than risk losing him for a much smaller fee, and less favourable terms, in the summer.

A host of clubs across Europe are believed to have expressed an interest in signing Hansen-Aarøen. Ajax, Atletico Madrid and Napoli are three potential suitors, while a number of German and Dutch clubs have made similar approaches.

However, German reporter, Benedikt Duda (Transfermarkt), reveals it is Werder Bremen who are trying to secure a deal for the 19-year-old before tomorrow’s deadline closes.

Translation: “#Werder is trying to get another promising player for the midfield alongside Skelly #Alvero . According to @Transfermarkt information, Bremen are trying to find United talent Isak #HansenAarøen , whose contract is expiring.”

When asked in the comments if they were hoping to close the deal in this window, the reporter replied “that is the hope”.