Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came out on the pitch after the final whistle of a Premier League game that saw United beat Bournemouth 5-2 last July.
He might have unknown to the fact that he was getting captured by the pitchside cameras as well as his voice was getting recorded.
He went to shake hands with then Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake and told him, “We need a left-footed center-back, so keep going.”
Since then, it is presumably known to everyone that Manchester United are looking to sign a central defender during this ongoing summer transfer window.
United missed out on Nathan Ake as the Dutchman joined Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City earlier this summer for a reported transfer fee of £41m.
United’s interest in him collapsed because they were not keen to spend big for a player who suffered relegation in the 2019-20 campaign.
One of the many names that followed to get linked with a summer move to Old Trafford was that of Benoit Badiashile.
The AS Monaco defender had left an adoring prestige behind him with his performance in the 2019-20 season. He is fast, physically strong, tall, and most importantly left-footed.
He might have really been a decent acquisition for the Red Devils had United been given the opportunity to scrape up his signature this summer, claims a reputed France-based journalist in Mohamed Bouhafsi.
AS Monaco hired Niko Kovac last July following the dismissal of Roberto Moreno. And as per Bouhafsi, Kovac was the reason the Manchester club was unable to lure the French defender.
The transfer expert revealed (via Stretford Paddock) that the Croatian is a huge admirer of the 19-year-old talented defender and wanted Badiashile to continue his development under the supervision of the former Bayern Munich boss.
Real Madrid were also interested in securing his service. But Kovac’s faith in the youngster help him decide to stay put at Monaco for at least another season.
On the other hand, Kovac had his confidence in Badiashile staying at the club. Therefore, he went on to claim:
“Our aim is to take him to the next level. If he plays a lot of matches with us in Ligue 1, which is a very good league, he will improve, that is certain.
“We do not want to sell him, that is very clear, he will stay here this season. I think that this is the best solution for him. He has his club here, his family. He knows the environment.”
Monaco rejected United’s bid but were ready to sell him if United made an Anthony Martial-esque bid. Martial joined United in 2015 for a deal worth £58m – which was considered to be quite high given Martial’s reputation at 19. United didn’t follow up and Badiashile stays at Monaco.
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