Man Utd stunned after midfielder bid rejected; Prem rival ready to swoop in with superior offer

Manchester United have failed with a bid for Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, and a report claims a fellow Premier League side could succeed where the Red Devils haven’t.

Erik ten Hag and co and on the hunt for a readymade addition in the engine room before Friday night’s 11pm deadline.

Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina is the player drawing the strongest links, though according to Fabrizio Romano, United actually tabled a bid for an alternative target.

France international, Youssouf Fofana, is the player in question. The 24-year-old is a regular with Ligue 1 powerhouse Monaco and has 10 caps for France to his name since making his senior debut in 2022.

Per Romano, Man Utd put a loan deal with an option to buy to Monaco. Serie A side Inter Milan tabled a matching offer, though Monaco have snubbed both bids.

Explaining why, Romano confirmed Monaco would only be interested in doing business for Fofana is selling outright, and that’s where Fulham come in.

Indeed, The Cottagers are hastily exploring signing a replacement for Joao Palhinha.

The Portugal international is intent on joining Bayern Munich who have accepted Liverpool’s €45m bid for Ryan Gravenberch.

While not a like-for-like replacement, Palhinha is the player Thomas Tuchel wants to take Gravenberch’s spot in his midfield ranks.

Fulham are casting their net far and wide to ensure they aren’t caught short if Palhinha does leave for Germany.

Indeed, the Athletic reported Fulham are also holding talks with Tottenham regarding Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Elsewhere, Man Utd fans won’t be thrilled to see Gianluca Di Marzio claim Fulham have entered the race for Amrabat.

However, according to the Daily Mail, a permanent swoop for Monaco’s Fofana is possible too.

Marco Silva’s side have made initial enquiries into the move and given Palhinha could generate in the region of £60m, they’ll soon have cash to splash.

A permanent move – not a loan – could be put to Monaco who previously rejected a £30m bid for Fofana from Nottingham Forest earlier this window.

For United, their full focus now appears to be back on Amrabat. Indeed, Fabrizio Romano tweeted on Thursday night that a fresh round of talks were poised to take place.

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