Manchester United Face Transfer Battle to Stop City from Stealing Adnan Januzaj

Manchester United are in danger of losing Belgian teenager Adnan Januzaj, who has reportedly failed to agree a new contract across six months of negotiations, according to John Edwards of the Daily Mail.

Local rivals Manchester City have been touted as admirers of Januzaj and are set to unsettle the starlet with an ambitious bid to snatch his signature, as per Edwards' report: 

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City have been alerted to the stand-off and are ready to launch a raid that would infuriate Old Trafford and overshadow even the furore over United’s failings in the summer transfer window.

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Edwards’ story follows on from Alan Nixon's report for the Mirror, which suggests the player may be forced to quit Old Trafford with just one year remaining on his contract. If this were to happen, the Premier League champions would be thrust into a disappointing battle to nab compensation from any new suitor.

For manager David Moyes, a potential tussle will only add to the list of disappointing transfer dealings since he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson in July.

The former Everton boss failed to bring in transfer targets such as Cesc Fabregas and Ander Herrera during the summer and was forced to play £27.5 million for Marouane Fellaini, as reported by BBC Sport.

Had Moyes decided to trigger Fellaini’s buyout clause before the start of August, the towering midfielder would have enjoyed a full preseason with his new teammates for just £23.5 million, as reported by Jamie Jackson of The Guardian.

Now that reports on Januzaj’s contract struggles are circling the press, Moyes must move quickly to secure the talents of an individual who was recently compared to George Best by Ian Herbert of The Independent.

Januzaj replaced Ashley Young during United’s recent 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. Despite only being on the pitch for 23 minutes, he completed two key passes, one successful dribble and drew opponents into making two fouls, per Whoscored.

The 18-year-old showed tremendous composure and skill on his Premier League debut and will hope to continue building on a senior career that started with the 2013 Community Shield.

In a match that saw Young booked for diving, Januzaj’s self-assured and exuberant confidence on the ball was refreshing. Moyes was forced into berating Young for his antics, as reported by James Dickenson of the Express, and he would be right to give Januzaj greater first-team opportunities ahead of the England international.

Such faith in the young Belgian could make a huge difference at this moment. Should reports of City’s interest become concrete, Januzaj may be coaxed into making a difficult decision so early in his career.

The Manchester clubs have a long history of exchanging players since the Second World War, with Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves the most recent examples of individuals who have switched from red to blue.

While both struggled to maintain momentum at the Etihad, Januzaj’s potential move would emphasise the notion that Old Trafford is no longer the best prospect for young players now that Sir Alex Ferguson has moved on.

Should Januzaj decide Manchester City are worth representing and not the Premier League champions, Moyes is going to need one hell of a bumper transfer window next summer.

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