Man Utd first January transfer deal on verge of completion as player spotted | Football | Sport

Manchester United youngster Sam Mather has been spotted wearing Kayserispor training gear, fuelling speculation of his imminent move to the Turkish club. The 21-year-old winger caught the attention of Kayserispor last summer, but negotiations between the two clubs failed to reach a conclusion.

Reports from Turkey on Wednesday suggested that Kayserispor had finalised terms with United for Mather’s transfer and that the player had travelled to seal the deal. Despite no official announcement from United yet, Mather has already been seen at Kayserispor’s training facility.

The young winger was photographed alongside Kayserispor vice-president Suleyman Akin, hinting that an official statement from both clubs is imminent

Keen to jumpstart his professional career, Mather is set to leave his childhood club in pursuit of new opportunities and more regular playing time.

It was reported that discussions with Kayserispor had progressed significantly on Turkey’s deadline day, with the Super Lig team pushing to finalise the agreement.

The Manchester Evening News previously reported that a fee and buy-back clause were agreed upon, and it’s understood that personal terms were also verbally settled with the forward.

However, the transfer still needed final approval and board sign-off, leading the club to conclude there wasn’t sufficient time to complete the transfer.

Despite missing a summer transfer, he has spent this season training with the first team at Carrington, but that hasn’t resulted in a senior debut. Instead, the young player has made six appearances in academy matches to keep his match fitness up.

The Salford-born Mather leaves United having won the FA Youth Cup and netted 30 goals in youth league matches.

United are set to appoint an interim coach until the end of the season, with Darren Fletcher in caretaker charge for the 2-2 draw at Burnley and this weekend’s FA Cup tie with Brighton.

The INEOS hierarchy will be keenly watching the transfer window unfold, but are not expected to do any major business, which is reportedly one of the reasons why Ruben Amorim clashed with the chiefs.

Amorim was in favour of signing a marquee midfielder this month, but the club wanted to wait while the likes of Carlos Baleba, Elliott Anderson and Adam Wharton are unavailable mid-season.