Everton have £22m bid accepted for Manchester United midfielder

Everton have moved a step closer to signing Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin after having an initial £22m bid accepted, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Schneiderlin, 27, has been given the greenlight to leave Old Trafford this month after dropping completely out of favour under Jose Mourinho this season.

Everton had previously had a £20m bid for the former Southampton midfielder rejected earlier this month but they have finally met United’s valuation of the Frenchman and a deal is now expected to be completed in the next 48 hours.

“Before the match [against Hull] Mr Woodward told me almost there, so I’m sad, I’m happy,” Mourinho as saying after their 2-0 win over Hull on Tuesday night.

“Sad because I like him, sad because he could be an option for us in a long season. I’m happy because this is what he wants, wants to play every game, he wants to be an important player in the team, so if this is what he wants I’m happy for a good professional that I can only say good things about.”

Schneiderlin joined United from Southampton in a deal worth £25m in 2015 and, for a club that has a poor selling history, United have done very well to almost recoup the full amount after striking a deal with Everton that could see the deal rise to £24m with add-ons.

Despite only featuring in 11 minutes of action in the Premier League this season, Schneiderlin has still completed the most tackles and interceptions in the last five campaigns in England’s top-flight (772).

For more stats on Morgan Schneiderlin, click here to visit his WhoScored player page