Manchester United are reportedly set to let academy graduate Angel Gomes leave the club as a free agent next month as contract talks reach stalemate, according to reports. It was reported in the past week that United had offered the 19-year-old a take it or leave it offer of £30,000 per week to remain at United, which would also include add-on bonuses.
Gomes will become a free agent on the 30 June 2020, meaning that he would be able to speak to clubs in the United Kingdom to sign as a free agent from the 1 July 2020. Chelsea have been a club that has held an interest in the player for some time, which could be a destination for the attacking midfielder.
United obviously have an interest in keeping the player, but his bit-part role in the first team this season could be stopping him from committing to the club. However, when he has played for the first team, he had hardly put in the performances that would suggest he could be a regular in the team, so this is partly on him.
United would not be eligible to receive a fee for Gomes, should he end up leaving the club as a free agent, however, much like they received when Paul Pogba walked away from the club in the summer of 2012, United, who have had the teenager in their academy for a number of years, would be entitled to compensation if he signs for another club.
It has been reported, albeit by Goal, that the club and the player have reached a stalemate in negotiations, so it is clear that what the club has offered Gomes is not what he wants, so in this instance, the best thing is to let the clock run down, meaning the player will have a big decision on his hands, which could result in him walking away from the club.
This will be a gamble as despite Chelsea being interested in the player, there are no guarantees that he would be instantly promoted to the first team or played regularly. It could be that he plays for Chelsea U23s for the foreseeable future and given chances in the first team. If the same thing happens there, as it has at United, his gamble could be problematic.
Gomes is a talented player and he needs to understand that if he is not seen as a player ready for the rigours of first team football, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unlikely to pick him regularly. Yes, he has put in some semi-decent appearances in the first team but has not scored or assisted a goal in the time he has been given.
He could have perhaps been offered more minutes on the pitch, with United missing the liked of Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay in midfield for much of the season but the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January seemingly ended his chances of being that creative player in the first team, unless he did more to warrant that chance.
Gomes has played well for the clubs U18, U19 and U23 teams in his relatively short career to date, scoring 34 goals and 25 assists in 91 appearances at those levels. He has played ten times for the first team and has not scored or assisted a single goal. This could suggest that he is not yet ready to be given a starting place at United.
