Ander Herrera to BUY OUT Bilbao contract to seal £29m Manchester United move #TheElitePartyInJuly #IRepEntertain9jarBlog via @myentertain9jar

ANDER HERRERA will buy himself out of his contract at Athletic Bilbao to force through a move to Manchester United.

 

Ander Herrera may be forced to buy himself out of his Athletic Bilbao contract[GETTY]

Bilbao have surprisingly rejected United’s £29m bid even though the offer meets the release clause in midfielder Herrera’s contract with the Basque club.
Now, it is understood, Herrera will pay Bilbao the transfer fee with United re-imbursing him.
A similar wrangle occurred when Javi Martinez left Bilbao for Bayern Munich two years ago.

 

Sources close to the deal say it is a PR exercise by Bilbao to appease fans upset at the departure of their best player.

Even though Bilbao agreed to the release clause in Herrera’s contract, they prefer the player to force through his move rather than be seen to be selling him without a fight.

But Untied remain confident the deal will go through before July 1 when Herrera’s release clause rises to £33m.

Herrera, 24, has already completed a medical and agreed a four-year contract. He visited United’s Carrington training complex on Wednesday and is believed to have already posed for photographs and conducted an interview with the club TV channel to be broadcast when his signing becomes official.

He will become Louis Van Gaal’s first signing as United manager.