The £30m summer transfer disaster Manchester United must avoid sleepwalking into

If every club official was as candid as Galatasaray vice-chairman Ibrahim Hatipoglu, this job would be a darned sight easier. Forget your speculation and your subterfuge, over in Turkey, good ol’ Ibby is telling it like it is, laying down the truth to the masses with no filter or care for the consequences. If we had a world full of Hatipoglus, Fabrizio Romano would be working as a barista somewhere, or perhaps a chimney sweep. Make of that what you will.

Anyways, this week, Hatipoglu has been yapping away to CNN Turk about his club and their apparent interest in signing Scott McTominay from Manchester United. Because everybody knows that Turkey is best served with a side of McSauce. ‘We are interested in a player from the Premier League and Manchester United’, Hatipoglu said.

‘There is nothing more natural than the high cost of this. There are discussions regarding his transfer fee. For us, the total cost, including transfer fees and player receivables [salary], is important at the decision point. Once the negotiations with both the club and the player are completed, the cost becomes apparent.’

Now, while the exact figure it would take to prise the Scotland international away from Old Trafford is unspecified at this stage, it is worth pointing out that West Ham are widely understood to have failed with a bid of around £30 million last year. Presumably, then, Galatasaray’s offer would have to be at least somewhere in that general ball park - especially since United have the option to extend McTominay’s contract in Manchester until 2026 at their disposal if they so wish.

But perhaps they shouldn’t be selling him at all. The 27-year-old is a divisive player, diplomatically speaking. There are those supporters for whom the inclusion of his name on a team sheet is enough to elicit the kind of steaming, whistling reaction usually reserved for cartoon kettles. That being said, on his day, McTominay is capable of offering a great deal. Last season, he hit double figures for goals scored across all competitions, and his willingness to put himself about in the engine room is a valuable trait in a side who are so frequently and sorely lacking in gumption.

Indeed, it is his presence that makes McTominay such a decent option in a dressing room. Whether he is battling away at the base of a midfield or providing a target and an out ball in the final third, the academy graduate has his uses, and while the hope will be that United can bring in a calibre of player this summer that elevates Erik ten Hag’s squad to the next level, it will still be important that they have experienced heads who they know they can rely upon, and who are able to offer depth and grit in difficult moments.

McTominay does that in abundance, and while a hefty bid and the assurance of a suitable replacement would be very, very tempting, the reality is that without either of those things, United could end up sleepwalking into an ill-advised sale. If McTominay is to leave, the club have to be absolutely certain it is the right decision.