Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s move to Manchester United costing as much as Crystal Palace’s top three sales combined

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

richard.cawley@slp.co.uk

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s meteoric rise is showing no signs of slowing – with the Crystal Palace defender set for a £55million move to Manchester United.

The Eagles had rejected at least two lower bids for the 21-year-old right-back but negotiations continued, with the deal beginning to knit together in the early part of this week.

Palace were privately ready to consider a deal for Wan-Bissaka as long as the transfer, which contains a number of add-ons, hit a certain scale. Provided the England U21 international’s transfer is completed, it will allow them to spend more heavily than planned in the summer window.

The indications have been that the Eagles could do as many as three deals with the funds generated. The headache is that it is no secret they have got significant money at their disposal.

Croydon-born Wan-Bissaka’s story highlights the premium price paid for homegrown talent.  Initially starting in the Eagles academy as a winger, he was converted to a more defensive role but only an injury crisis saw him dropped in at the deep end against Tottenham in a Premier League match in February 2018. It was a sink or swim moment – and the youngster never looked like slipping under the surface.

Forty-six matches later – which has seen his one-v-one defending lauded along with collecting Palace’s Player of the Year award – and he is moving for a world record sum for a full-back.

It also pulverises the South London club’s biggest sale – Everton paid in the region of £25m for Yannick Bolasie. To put the Wan-Bissaka deal into some kind of context, you need to combine the exits of Bolasie, Wilfried Zaha to Manchester United and Dwight Gayle’s Newcastle transfer to hit the same kind of total.

About the only time Wan-Bissaka has looked out of his comfort zone was for the young Three Lions at the European Championships in Italy.

A shaky display against France in their opening Group C game in Cesena was capped by a 95th-minute own goal as Aidy Boothroyd’s side lost 2-1. 

He was benched for the remaining two games as England made an early exit.

Looking uncomfortable on the international stage – out of his normal environment in South London – had been mooted as a reason for United to get a little itchy over bringing Wan-Bissaka in.

But the level of detail that big clubs go into for a transfer of this magnitude means that they rarely change opinions based on one 90 minutes, especially with the national team failing to impress.

Wan-Bissaka’s salary is also set to sky rocket. He was on a miniscule weekly wage packet by Premier League standards. The word from the United end is that he could jump to £90,000 a week.

You can’t see Palace countenancing any more really high-profile exits – this is their first since becoming a Premier League club. 

Zaha looks hugely unlikely to follow Wan-Bissaka in leaving SE25, especially as United have a 25 per cent sell-on. Interest in the past has seen the Ivory Coast international enjoy steady salary increases – to the point where he would be an incredibly expensive deal to do.

Palace have fought to keep prize assets. Two going out the door in the same window? There seems no chance.