Manchester United are closing in on their second first-team departure of the summer following Donny van de Beek’s move to Girona on Thursday.
This time, it’s a deal that initially raised the eyebrows of the Old Trafford faithful after it was reported that Willy Kambwala would be leaving the club to join Villarreal on a permanent transfer.
The 19-year-old is fresh off the back of his maiden campaign in senior football, having only made his Premier League debut back in December 2023. He proceeded to make a further nine appearances, with his two FA Cup outings ensuring that he claimed a winners’ medal when the Reds lifted the trophy at Wembley in May.
Villarreal have agreed to pay an upfront fee of €5.5 million plus €6m in add-ons to get the deal over the line, while United have included a buy-back option along with a sell-on clause to hold some authority over the youngster’s future if he excels in Spain.
Read more: Erik ten Hag has personally contacted 26-year-old winger to bring him to United
Why Kambwala has decided to leave
Heading into the summer window, Kambwala was actually ‘reluctant’ to part ways with the club after four years. However, after holding talks with Erik ten Hag, the player was informed that he’d be ‘way down the pecking order of centre-backs’, according to Manchester Evening News.
As such, you can’t blame him for wanting to embark on a new venture elsewhere, and fans will certainly wish him the best in his endeavours after his United exit.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed this afternoon that Kambwala had ‘completed [his] medical tests’ with the La Liga outfit, so you’d expect a formal announcement from both clubs is imminent.
