Man Utd in discussions to sell Fellaini to Chinese club

The Belgian has been at Old Trafford for five-and-a-half years but could leave in the coming weeks

Manchester United have confirmed they are in discussions with a Chinese club over the potential sale of Marouane Fellaini.

The Belgian midfielder, who has been a polarising figure during his five-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, has been the subject of links to Shandong Luneng Taishan this week, could be set to leave the Theatre of Dreams.

Fellaini was a regular in the matchday 18 during Jose Mourinho’s matchday squad but has made only two substitute appearances in the eight matches of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign so far, with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera solidifying their spots in the first XI.

And with Solskjaer looking for a faster transition in his United side than had become the norm under Mourinho, he has given the go-ahead to move Fellaini on.

The Belgium international, who was a World Cup semi-finalist with his country in 2018, arrived at United from Everton as David Moyes’ only summer signing in 2013 for a fee of around £27.5 million but failed to win many fans among the United faithful as his arrival coincided with the club’s fall from grace after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

But he eventually became a much-trusted member of the squad for first Louis van Gaal and then Mourinho, scoring many a vital goal along the way. Most recently, it was his last-minute goal against Young Boys in November which secured United’s route through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Mourinho had initially feared that Fellaini may not remain at the club into the 2018-19 season after the midfielder ran his contract down to its final days, but United announced in late June that Fellaini had penned a new two-year deal.

However, the 30-year-old now appears set to leave the club just seven months on, with the Chinese transfer window remaining open until February 28 ahead of the 2019 Chinese Super League getting underway.

And United will be permitted to sell beyond the end of the European transfer deadline of January 31, giving Fellaini’s suitors a four-week window to complete a deal for a man who has donned the United shirt 177 times and scored 22 goals.