Manchester United aims to offload the last of the "five mice" for free, saving over a million in wages! Failed to outbid Chelsea for the young talent.

Manchester United will determine if Tyrell Malacia can depart on a free transfer this month. Some European teams have shown interest in acquiring the left-back, but they are unwilling to pay any transfer fee for the 26-year-old from the Netherlands. The Red Devils might let Malacia leave without a fee, despite his £75,000 weekly salary, which totals more than £1 million over half a season, even with a reduction due to no Champions League participation.

Last summer, Malacia was listed by Ruben Amorim as part of the "bomb squad," also dubbed the locker room's "five mice," and was put up for sale early on. While other players like Rashford, Sancho, Garnacho, and Antony have found new clubs, Malacia remained at the club for the first half of the season without securing any transfer deals.

Malacia was once linked with clubs from La Liga and the Turkish Süper Lig but ultimately declined those moves. He returned to the first-team squad in October, appearing on the bench 13 times in the last 15 matches across all competitions, only coming on as a substitute once in the 88th minute during the Boxing Day game against Newcastle United.

For the first signing under Ten Hag costing €17 million, the past year has been very frustrating. In the second half of last season, Malacia was loaned to PSV Eindhoven, where he started only 6 out of 12 appearances. Despite the team winning the title, he was sent back to his parent club without a permanent deal.

According to the Manchester Evening News, clubs from Italy, Spain, and Turkey have shown interest in Malacia this January. However, so far, there have been no concrete transfer developments. Malacia's contract with Manchester United has only five months remaining, and if no deal is reached this month, he will leave after the season ends. Nonetheless, he is eager to secure more playing time as soon as possible.

Previously sidelined for 517 days due to two serious knee injuries, Malacia has now proven he is fully fit. Earlier this month, he played 45 minutes and scored a goal for Manchester United’s U21 team against Wolverhampton, helping secure a 4-1 victory.

In Carrick’s first match in charge, Malacia was named on the bench but remained unused for the full 90 minutes. With Mazraoui returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Malacia might even lose his place on the bench. United currently have Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia as left-backs, although Doku has recently been played as a winger. Meanwhile, Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot, who normally play on the right, can also fill in at left-back.

In the reserves, there is 18-year-old Diego Leon, who cost £7 million to sign. The Paraguayan youngster has yet to make a first-team appearance, but compared to Malacia, who is likely to leave, both the club and fans hope Leon will get his chance.

Reports say Manchester United continue to strengthen their left-back options, having submitted an offer to Sheffield Wednesday this week to sign defender Isa Alao. However, according to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea has already reached an agreement with Sheffield Wednesday to sign the 17-year-old, meaning United’s attempt to hijack the deal failed.

Romano revealed that Chelsea won the race and will pay around £500,000 plus a similar amount in add-ons to secure Alao’s signature. The deal is expected to be confirmed in the coming days, making Alao the first signing under Chelsea’s new manager Liam Rosenior.

One reason Manchester United lost out to Chelsea might be related to 18-year-old left-back Harry Armas. Sheffield Wednesday praised United this summer after the Red Devils waived Armas’s loan fee. Wednesday successfully developed Armas and hoped to extend his loan until the end of the season. However, United recalled him and loaned him to Norwich, believing the Championship’s "Canaries" offered more competitive matches than the relegation-bound "Owls."

It’s understandable that Sheffield Wednesday was unhappy with this decision, causing them to lose the goodwill advantage when United pursued Alao.