Man United reported to FA over transfer payment issue
Man United have been reported to the FA over claims of an unpaid transfer agent fee, according to The Daily Mail.
The Red Devils have apparently received legal letters from an agent, demanding payment for his help in securing now-Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe’s loan move to Stoke City in January 2023.
However, the Old Trafford club do not believe the claims to have any basis, and have therefore refused to pay the agent.
In turn, the agent is said to have reported the issue to the FA, citing a breach of their Football Agent Regulations, and claims to have been given assurances by Director of Football Negotiations, Matt Hargreaves, and former Football Director, John Murtough, that he would be paid.
On United’s part though, are thought to have investigated the matter, and found no evidence the intermediary was actually part of the deal as no email correspondence shows their involvement.
Phil Smith, of First Artist Mission, was the intermediary who was reportedly registered with the FA as having worked on the deal and the Manchester side are said to be ready to defend any legal claim.
Man United may want agent issue resolved quickly
Football Insider Opinion
With the January transfer window on the horizon, there is a good chance those at Old Trafford will want this issue cleared up sooner rather than later.
The Red Devils will likely have some important business to do in that window, given it will be Ruben Amorim’s first as manager.
As a result they may not want distractions such as this when there will be plenty of high profile deals to focus on.
The story also reports that a recent claim from an agent over Eric Bailly’s free transfer from Man United to Besiktas, which was resolved without the club having to pay anything.
It is noted that thanks to the resolution of that issue there are no other outstanding issues between the club and any agents.
As a result, those at Old Trafford may also be confident that this situation can also be resolved in a similar manner.
Tuanzebe made only a handful of appearances in the first-team squad before joining Ipswich Town permanently on a free transfer in September 2023.
It would therefore be frustrating if a transfer involving the centre-back was now to cause any significant issues for the club.
With that in mind, Man United will no doubt want to get this particular claim dealt with in the not too distant future.
In other news, Man United fans have been reacting to a new Leny Yoro update.
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