Even though October isn’t the time for transfer rumors, the surprising rise of Adnan Januzaj into borderline Manchester United star has highlighted his contract situation, running out at the end of the season, bringing in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus as the main teams interested in signing him before he signs an extension.
The 18-year old Belgian winger was born in Brussels to Kosovar-Albanian parents, and played for the Anderlecht youth side until 2011, joining Manchester United that year. He made his debut for the club under David Moyes, and his two goals in the win over Sunderland during his first start for the club seems to have propelled him into immediate stardom.
However, just like Paul Pogba, Januzaj might be another huge teenage talent the club has a chance to lose. Januzaj’s contract runs out at the end of the season, which means clubs around Europe can sign him from January 1, unless United sign him to an extension in the next three months.
According to reports in the British press, the people representing Januzaj are trying to make the most of the situation, hoping to get a deal that’s a lot bigger than what he might have secured before the chances David Moyes gave him.
There is debate whether Januzaj is asking for £20,000 or even £50,000 a week, but there’s also a big signing bonus he’s looking to acquire, around the sum of £100,000. There seems to be some room for debate and negotiation regarding his weekly fee, but team-Januzaj are looking for a substantial signing bonus, even if he has played only three times for the senior club.
After losing Ravel Morrison, doing very well for West Ham early in his career, and Paul Pogba, a starter for Juventus in the Serie A and the Champions League, not to mention a pretty important piece in the title-winning Serie A campaign last season, a club that doesn’t want to spend too much money might be forced into such an expense because they simply can’t afford to keep losing their biggest young talents due to their weakening in the transfer market over the last few years.