Manchester United's Ander Herrera bid cast into doubt

Manchester United's proposed signing of Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao looks like being in some trouble after doubts were cast over whether the club would pay the release clause.

United made a €30m bid which was rejected, and for some reason are thought to be unwilling to pay the extra to meet the €36m release clause. Graham Hunter, who has connections in Spain and at United, had this to say:

@seanbell2461 Utd won't pay €36m at moment. I'm sure Ath B won't negotiate ... so no go, sadly

— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) September 2, 2013

Of course, Hunter could be wrong - he said there was a good chance of United signing Thiago earlier in the window, which reports now suggest was never that close, and also conflicted with other reliable sources over Cesc Fabregas. Unfortunately, however, there's more bad news, with El Correo, the local Bilbao source, stating that Herrera has told teammates he doesn't think United will pay the clause.

This is madness, frankly. We are now, after yesterday's misery, officially Playing Badly, and the idea that Marouane Fellaini alone will completely transform this team is daft. Quibbling over a few million for a club of United's resources is lunacy, even from a Glazernomic viewpoint now they have a share price to protect. Let's hope the club sees sense, or failing that, panics completely. There's still plenty of time to go yet.