AC Milan are reportedly unwilling to meet AS Monaco’s £21 million asking price for midfielder Youssouf Fofana.
Manchester United have been working hard to improve their squad this summer and after working on the attack and defence, they have shifted attention to the midfield with 15 more days left before the transfer window closes.
Manuel Ugarte and Sander Berge have been heavily linked to a move to United but one name that has not disappeared is that of Youssouf Fofana.
It had been reported that AC Milan, who have been chasing the player all summer, feared history repeating itself like in the Joshua Zirkzee deal and United hijacking the move.
It was even claimed that the Mancunian side were about to make their opening bid for the midfielder but AC Milan responded and upped their bid for the him.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Milan will still not meet Monaco’s asking price however.
Milan “are considering whether to add to the twenty million already proposed some bonuses (four-five million) linked to the trophies won” but they “will not reach the twenty-five plus bonuses that they would like in the Principality; much less the thirty-five that West Ham seemed willing to put on the table before being stopped by the will of the French midfielder.”
The San Siro outfit believe that Monaco’s stance will soften as the end of the window approaches as they will not want to lose the player on a free next year.
Interestingly, the Italian outlet claim that Milan are expecting the “white smoke” and are not concerned by United’s interest in the player. They claim that Erik ten Hag only sees Fofana as a “luxury alternative” to his main priority, Ugarte.
Corriere dello Sport add to this and report that Fofana has no interest in joining United this summer, as he only has eyes for Milan.
“Fofana, too, is trying to force the issue as much as he can. In two ways: first of all by refusing the advances of any other club (West Ham and Manchester United included) by virtue of his desire to move to the Rossoneri, and then by training separately from the rest of his teammates at Monaco while waiting for developments in the market.”
Therefore, United could most likely afford a deal for Fofana as the asking price is well below that of Ugarte but would reportedly have serious work to do to convince the player of a move to Manchester.
