The long-awaited reinforcement arrived in Seville last night. Young midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will officially become a member of the Spanish club today. Now Sevilla fans can utter the famous exclamation of “Hannibal ad portas”, which was used by the ancient Romans with dread and fear. And while the Romans feared invaders, los Sevillistas fear demotion from La Liga.Negotiations with Manchester United over the Tunisian international lasted for weeks, and the agreement was finally reached in recent days. Mejbri comes on loan, after which Sevilla will have the option to buy for $22 million. Additionally, Manchester United will not have a fixed buy-back clause to repurchase the midfielder, but they managed to convince him to extend his contract. His current contract was set to expire in 2025, and United did not want him to enter the final year of his contract if Sevilla did not exercise the buyout option. He extended his loyalty until 2026 and then travelled to Andalusia.🚨🗣️ Hannibal Mejbri: “I’m very happy to be here. I hope to help the team, play, progress and have fun in this new experience.” [@AlvarooSVQ] #MUFC pic.twitter.com/cF3e2UXaHi— UtdTruthful (@Utdtruthful) January 15, 2024 The desire of the talented midfielder played a crucial role, and there was significant interest from Everton as well. Although United insisted on him moving to Goodison Park and continuing his development in the Premier League, the young man born in France has succeeded in making Sevilla his next destination, seeing greater room for progress there. This season, he played ten matches in all competitions and did not have a significant role in Erik Ten Hag’s system.##NAJAVA_MECA_7796150##Mejbri is Sevilla’s fourth reinforcement this January. Before him, French midfielder Lucien Agoume arrived on loan from Inter with an option to buy for $10 million. From Ajax, Belgian attacking midfielder Stanis Idumbo Muzambo joined for $500,000 and 25% of the next sale. Additionally, Colombian striker Mateo Mejia was acquired from Manchester United, with an obligation for the Red Devils to receive 25% of the next sale.All of them will be registered for Sevilla’s B team for now, as it is necessary for some A-team players like Rafa Mir, Adnan Januzaj, and Joan Jordan to leave the club and free up space for registration. However, all new players will be eligible to compete for the first team under Quique Sanchez Flores, and it is expected that Hannibal will be in the squad for today’s match against Getafe after signing the contract.
