Manchester United youngster Omari Forson is set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after turning down new contract proposals.
Sources indicated in the winter that Forson was expected to sign a new deal, but talks hit a snag and proposals from United were rejected by the player’s representatives.
The Manchester Evening News understands United will continue to offer Forson competitive contracts in the hope he will sign a new deal before his expiry but he’s expected to leave.
Erik ten Hag’s efforts to demonstrate a pathway to the first team for Forson have been in vain and United will be due a compensation fee when he joins a new club.
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Forson was part of the senior squad on the pre-season tour of the United States last summer and Ten Hag handed him his debut against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup in January.
The youngster replaced Marcus Rashford in added time, which meant he became the 249th academy player to make a United debut, and received more opportunities after that.
Forson made a substitute appearance against Newport County in the next round of the FA Cup and came off the bench in that 4-3 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
He assisted Kobbie Mainoo’s matchwinner at Molineux and was given a shock full Premier League debut a few weeks later when starting against Fulham on February 24.
Rasmus Hojlund sustained a muscle injury on the day before United faced Fulham at Old Trafford and Forson was selected to start over £86million signing Antony, but he looked inexperienced and was eventually replaced by Christian Eriksen shortly into the second half.
Since then, Forson has made substitute appearances against Manchester City, Arsenal and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup but it hasn’t been enough to sign a new deal.
Although the 19-year-old was highly regarded by academy coaches and made an impression on Ten Hag, he’s considered his options elsewhere for over six months.
Forson is represented by Sports Invest UK, the agency led by Kia Joorabchian, who was the agent responsible for orchestrating Carlos Tevez’s departure from United.
He made the move to Manchester from Tottenham’s academy in 2019 and could return south where he was born.
Club sources have also pointed toward the emerging academy talent in Forson’s position, with the likes of Shea Lacey, Jack Fletcher and Sam Mather coming through.