Man Utd winger Sam Mather is set to leave the club in the January transfer window after missing out on an exit.
Sam Mather came close to leaving United in the summer.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Sam Mather is set to leave Manchester United in the January window. Mather missed out on an exit in the summer window due to talks collapsing with Turkish club Kayserispor, but his situation will be revisited.
Mather, 21, is keen to leave United in an effort to kickstart his career in the professional game, and he is attracting interest from clubs in Turkey, Germany and Greece ahead of January.
Discussions have taken place regarding the youngster's future, and United are willing to make concessions to allow Mather to leave as early as possible after his summer move collapsed.
The Manchester Evening News reported in September that talks were at an advanced stage with Kayserispor on Turkey's deadline day. Kayserispor pushed hard to sign Mather on a permanent deal.
The fee and buyback clause were agreed, and it's understood personal terms were also verbally agreed with the forward. United outlined a time for an agreement to be finalised and sign-off by the board was required, but the club eventually decided they did not have enough time to facilitate the transfer.
Mather's options for an exit were limited following the closure of the European transfer windows, which led to talks taking place with UAE club Al Wahda FC at the end of September.
United insisted on including a buy-back clause during discussions to sell Mather, which is common practice for departures from the academy, but the UAE club did not agree.
Mather was forced to deal with the disappointment of missing out on a fresh start. He has continued to train with the first-team and has made appearances in four academy fixtures to keep ticking over.
The winger scored a brace against Norwich in his first appearance of the campaign, but he has outgrown academy football and is hungry to leave his boyhood club to further his career.
Mather has predominantly played on the left wing during his time in the academy, but his preferred position is the No.10 role.
His contract at Old Trafford expires in the summer of 2027.