Man Utd fancied to beat AC Milan to signing 25yo enforcer, €30m deal can be agreed - report
Manchester United have been fancied to sign Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana amid competition from AC Milan, according to Calciomercato.
The 25-year-old is one of the best holding midfielders in Ligue 1 and he was regularly linked with a move to the Premier League last summer.
Nottingham Forest made a late offer before the transfer deadline, but Fofana preferred to continue at Monaco over a switch to City Ground.
Calciomercato now report that the Rossoneri are lining up a summer deal for the midfield enforcer, but they face strong competition from the Premier League.
United and West Ham are highlighted as the teams to watch out for.
Monaco are aware of Fofana’s desire to leave and want around €30 million to sell him.
Fofana won’t be an upgrade on Casemiro
Casemiro has had a difficult second season at United. He has been sidelined with three injuries and his performances have notably dipped from his debut campaign.
United need an upgrade on him for next season. Fofana has been highlighted as a target, but we don’t believe he would fare better than the experienced Brazilian.
Fofana has been good defensively with 4.9 duels won per game alongside 1.9 tackles. He has also managed an impressive 7.3 recoveries, winning 61 per cent of his take-ons.
Despite the positives, he has struggled with his distribution. He has an accuracy of only 82 per cent. The former Strasbourg man has lost possession almost 15 times per league outing.
Casemiro’s main weaknesses have been the lack of ball control and knack of being dispossessed. When we look at this, Fofana would not be an upgrade on the former Real Madrid star.
We would personally prefer the club to secure a deal for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves. The Red Devils are reportedly prepared to pay over €100m to land the services of the 19-year-old.
Stats from Sofascore.com & Transfermarkt.com