Euro giants fear Man Utd will ‘break their balls’ for £21.5m midfielder transfer as Ashworth plots hijack

Manchester United continue to be linked with a multitude of midfielders after cooling their interest in Manuel Ugarte and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana is reportedly on their shortlist.

The Red Devils have held extensive talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Ugarte, 23, whose £51m price tag has ultimately proved too costly for their budget.

Man Utd’s sporting director Dan Ashworth is now scouring the market for alternatives and Fofana is a name that has been mentioned by various outlets.

The 25-year-old France international has already agreed personal terms with Italian giant AC Milan, but they are yet to match Monaco’s price tag.

The French side are demanding a minimum of €25m (£21.5m) for Fofana and Milan are reluctant to go that high with their offer, giving Man Utd the opportunity to swoop in.

The fresh links with Fofana come amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Scott McTominay and Casmeiro at Old Trafford.

As we have consistently reported, the Red Devils are open to selling both players. McTominay has been the subject of bids from Fulham this summer, while clubs from Saudi Arabia are tracking Casemiro.

Man Utd’s hunt for a new midfielder is set to intensify as we head into the final weeks of the window.

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Man Utd tipped to ‘break AC Milan’s balls’

According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Milan view Man Utd as the main threat to them securing Fofana’s signature.

The report states that the Red Devils are trying to ‘break their balls’ for Fofana and ‘snatch’ the signing away from them.

It’s claimed that Fofana has ‘given his word’ to Milan and doesn’t want to go back on his promise – but that means nothing if the Italian giants don’t match Monaco’s demands.

It will be interesting to see if Man Utd are willing to pay upwards of £21.5m for Fofana, but he isn’t the only midfield target they’re looking at.

Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad has also been considered by Ashworth, but Liverpool have leapfrogged their rivals in the race for the Spaniard according to reputed journalist David Ornstein.

Zubimendi has a €60m (£51.5m) release clause in his contract and Sociedad are reluctant to sell him for anything less.

Burnley star Sander Berge is another player on Ashworth’s list but the Championship side are aware of Man Utd’s interest and have set his price at £30m.

Fofana, therefore, represents the cheapest option of the trio and it will be interesting to see how this story progresses in the coming days.

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