EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United Maintain Concrete Interest In Youssouf Fofana From Monaco
We previously reported on AttackingFootball that Manchester United had made contact for Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, and we understand further contact has been made for the 25-year-old. United have concrete interest in the player, who is likely to leave Ligue 1 in the coming weeks.
Fofana has been called up to the French squad for the upcoming EURO 2024 campaign, and his future is unlikely to be fully resolved until the tournament is over. France are one of the favourites in the competition, which means it could be six or seven weeks before a decision is fully made regarding where he will play his football next season. This is a common scenario during a window coinciding with a major tournament, due to the players having full focus on their performances with their countries.
United Have Concrete Interest In Fofana:
United, however, are definitely interested in his signature and could land a deal for him for around £25 million. The French midfielder is not negotiating a new deal with Monaco at the moment, as revealed recently by Fabrizio Romano, and is almost guaranteed to be leaving the club by the end of the window. His contract expires next summer, meaning failure to sell him this summer would result in losing him for free next year. Contacts have taken place with Manchester United in recent days/weeks.
The Red’s are not the only club interested in Fofana, with interest from other clubs within England and even in Italy providing competition for his services. Arsenal are one of the clubs with strong links, as they look to replace Thomas Partey, who’s expected to leave the Gunners.
In Ligue 1 this season, Fofana has been phenomenal for Monaco. Amongst all midfielders in the French league, he ranks 1st for through passes, 3rd for forward passes, and 4th for key passes, which is quite extraordinary for a midfielder who predominantly plays deeper for his team. United will be looking for a physically dominant and progressive midfielder to replace Casemiro next season and raise the physical floor of a midfielder who gets out muscled and out-run in most games. Youssouf Fofana is likely to add that to United’s team.
The main thing to make clear is that United’s interest is real, and there are genuinely possibilities that they will make a concrete approach for Fofana in the coming weeks.
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