According to a recent report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Monaco midfielder Youssef Fofana chose to turn down a potential offer from Manchester United when faced with the prospect of joining AC Milan, as he prefers to do so. This decision has certainly posed a considerable challenge to United's transfer plans.
After Manchester United lost the chance to buy out Amrabat, manager Jens Ten Hagar urgently needs to bring in a new defensive midfielder to strengthen his team. Among the many candidates, Paris Saint-Germain's Ugarte became United's preferred target. However, due to the slow progress of the negotiations, United had to consider alternatives, including Monaco's Fofana.
A French international, Fofana has been in the spotlight at Monaco. His contract is about to expire and he has no intention of renewing it, which makes him a hot commodity in the transfer market. AC Milan acted quickly and made an offer for Fofana for a total of about 20 million euros. Although this offer was a far cry from the €35 million Monaco were expecting, AC Milan's sincerity and Fofana's personal will made the deal look closer to success.
Against this backdrop, Manchester United's transfer team will have to reassess their options. They may continue to negotiate with Paris Saint-Germain over the transfer of Ugarte or look for other more cost-effective defensive midfielders. Meanwhile, United will also need to keep an eye on Fofana's transfer developments in order to make adjustments if necessary.
