Manchester United will wait until the end of the season, to sign Christian Eriksen on a free transfer, the UK Telegraph reports.

Eriksen’s current deal expires in six months and he has so far refused to sign a new one.

This means the Denmark midfielder will be free to open negotiations with European clubs from January 1.

There is a chance Eriksen could leave next month, but clubs may be unwilling to pay Tottenham’s asking price of £40m, when they know he will be available for free in a matter of months.

United have been closely monitoring the situation and believe they will be able to land the player when his deal expires.

The prospect of Spurs persuading Eriksen to stay looks unlikely, as he has reportedly told manager Jose Mourinho that he has no intention of staying.

‘The only thing I will tell you about Christian is that I would like him to sign a new contract. Apart from that I’m not going to tell you anything,’ Mourinho said last week.

‘He has been here such a long time, Mourinho said in another press conference. ‘If I was Christian, I would stay. He has been living the life of the club for the last five or six years. The transition from White Hart Lane to the best stadium in the world and knows the perspectives of the future and the vision of the club.’

Eriksen has also attracted interest from Juventus and Real Madrid but has kept his cards close to his chest in terms of where he sees his future.