According to the Daily Star, Rangers and Celtic target Jesse Lingard may end up having his contract extended by Manchester United.
Reports from TEAMtalk broke over the weekend suggesting that Lingard would ask to leave United in January rather than have them activate a one-year option on his contract.
The report noted that Celtic and Rangers both want to sign Lingard, as he approaches the final six months of his Old Trafford deal.
Now though, it’s stated that United may well activate that clause, tying Lingard to the club until 2022 rather than seeing him walk away for nothing.
They would then be able to sell the 27-year-old, and that could be a problem for the two Scottish sides, who may struggle to complete financially with Premier League clubs.
Lingard has played just 99 minutes this season, and hasn’t appeared at all in the Premier League or Champions League having fallen out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The playmaker may hope that United honour his wishes and let him go after years of service to the club, football is still a business – and United may sense the opportunity for a transfer fee.
If they do let him walk, Rangers can offer him the chance to play under Steven Gerrard, which has been a major draw for many of their signings in recent times.
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