Turkish giants Besiktas are reportedly interested in a move for Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri.
The 20-year-old is back at Old Trafford following a strong 2022-23 campaign on loan with Birmingham City, during which he contributed one goal and six assists from 41 appearances.
Hannibal did not earn a spot in Erik ten Hag's squad for their opening three Premier League fixtures of the new term, but he took advantage of Jadon Sancho's recent exile to make the bench against Arsenal.
Hannibal was an unused substitute in that contest as the Red Devils lost 3-1, but should Sancho not play his way back into Ten Hag's good books, more first-team opportunities could come the way of the Tunisian.
However, Hannibal will be free to depart Man United when his contract expires in 2024, and it is unclear whether the club plan to trigger the 12-month extension option in his deal.
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Borussia Dortmund were believed to be showing an interest in the former Monaco man this summer, but a recent report claimed that he is now leaning towards staying at Old Trafford.
Teams in Turkey can still sign players until September 15, though, and Fotospor now claims that Besiktas have already enquired about taking Hannibal on loan.
Manager Senol Gunes reportedly promised Hannibal regular game time in the Super Lig and Europa Conference League, although their continental squad was submitted on Tuesday.
As a result, it would be too late for Besiktas to include Hannibal in their European ranks should they conclude a deal in the coming days, but the Turkish side could still offer him top-level experience.
Nevertheless, the report adds that Besiktas will not be losing sleep if they cannot secure Hannibal's signature, as the number 10 position is not a priority for Gunes.
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Alongside their pursuit of Hannibal, Besiktas are also hoping to bolster their wide ranks with the signing of Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal, and the Ivorian is already said to have passed a medical.
However, Pepe's proposed transfer to Turkey has supposedly stalled as the two clubs re-negotiate the terms of the deal, although there is still hope that a move will go through.
Meanwhile, Hannibal is looking to build on the three appearances he has already made for the senior team at Man United, who paid £8.6m to sign him from Monaco in 2019.
The 2003-born midfielder made his debut on the final day of the 2020-21 Premier League season versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, before playing twice in the 2021-22 campaign under Ralf Rangnick.
Despite his lack of first-team action for the Red Devils, Hannibal has already won 24 caps for Tunisia and has been called up to their squad for September's matches against Botswana and Egypt.
Ben Knapton
