Advisor reveals changed promise that thwarted Man Utd, Upamecano deal
One of Dayot Upamecano’s advisors has revealed why a proposed move to Manchester United fell through in 2015.
Man Utd are long-term admirers of Upamecano, who will complete a move from RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
The centre-back will move to Bayern for a fee in the region of £37m. But United could have signed him for much less more than half a decade ago.
When Upamecano was still a teenager, United tried to sign him from Valenciennes for just £1.9m. Given how he has progressed since, that could have been a bargain.
Of course, there is an argument that Upamecano may not have developed into the player he is today had he made that move. His decision to join Liefering and then RB Salzburg in Austria gave him more chances to play early in his career.
However, United were still close to signing him in 2015. Now, advisor Thierry Martinez has explained why the move fell through.
“An intermediary met with us,” Martinez told SoFoot, “but there was a difference between the project she presented us and what was actually going to happen.
“A flat was promised, but that changed to a host family with only six return trips for his parents.
“When you uproot a player at such a young age, that isn’t enough. I wanted Dayot to have a stable emotional balance off the pitch.”
'Upamecano will not join Man Utd this summer'
RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano is not a target for Manchester United this summer, according to James Cooper on Transfer Talk.
United’s interest in Upamecano has never gone away. They were considering him as a potential partner for Harry Maguire at the back recently, before dropping out of the race to sign him.
The Frenchman will likely continue his rapid rise following his move to Bayern. His price tag will surely only increase further.
Whether United will ever stand another chance of getting their man, only time will tell.
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Reason Liverpool pulled out revealed
Man Utd were not the only Premier League contenders for Upamecano.
Chelsea and Liverpool were also interested in the 22-year-old, but the latter’s interest eventually faded.
A report has shed light on why the champions decided against signing the centre-back, even though he is such a promising prospect.