Although a player can start to negotiate with other clubs as they enter the last six months of their deal, it’s often the case that agreements won’t be reached until the summer.
There’s been plenty of talk about AC Milan’s Turkish star Hakan Calhanoglu and a potential switch to Old Trafford this summer, while he wouldn’t currently require a fee due to his contract expiring at the end of the season.
There were reports that emerged earlier on today which even suggested that the deal was done to take him to Manchester, but it does sound like they are a tad premature.
Fabrizio Romano has since issued a different report which indicates that talks with Milan are still ongoing, and this does sound like the most likely outcome sees him stay at the San Siro:
Hakan Çalhanoglu today met AC Milan board to discuss his contract extension. Talks ongoing to reach an agreement – negotiations are now progressing, current contract will expire in June. ??? #ACMilan @ManuBaio
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 2, 2021
The Turkish midfielder is clearly a great player and he’s been key to AC Milan’s efforts this season with nine assists in Serie A so far, but it’s hard to figure out where he would fit into the system at Old Trafford.
He can play wide on the left if he’s able to drift inside but that position is usually taken by Marcus Rashford, and he’s not a natural winger with pace so he could drift out of the game if he’s placed on the right.
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Perhaps he’s seen as a potential replacement for Paul Pogba but he’s not really a box-to-box type so that wouldn’t make sense either, so it’s likely he would be a rotation option to provide depth.
Staying in Milan looks like his best option if he wants to be seen as a key player, but it will be interesting to watch him against United after they were drawn together in the Europa League.