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Manchester United’s midfield has been severely criticised this season and new co-owners INEOS are planning an overhaul in the department.
Last season-go-to partnership Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have been too frequently injured this term as a result of which both seem to have lost a yard of pace and they do not work as a partnership in big games.
The Dane has played a grand total of 135 minutes in 2024 and was on the bench for the game against Brentford despite his late show against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinal before the international break.
The 32-year-old has started only 11 games this campaign as opposed to 37 last time out and is unhappy with his demotion and is eyeing an exit in the summer.
United’s need to reinforce their midfield
As for the Brazilian, he has missed 18 games so far this campaign and did not start against the Bees. His form has plummeted and he does not look like the best fit for Erik ten Hag’s current high-transition style.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not impressed with United for spending so much money on a short-term fix and the club want to get rid of his humongous wages.
The 20-time English league champions have been linked with a lot of midfielders and Calciomercato have claimed the Red Devils are firmly in the race for Youssouf Fofana of AS Monaco.
The 25-year-old can play as both a defensive midfielder and further up front and has been in impressive form in the last few years and is keen to try on a new challenge at the end of the current campaign.
As per Fbref, he is in the top seven percent among midfielders for progressive passes made while also being in the top 10 percent for interceptions. His physical presence and passing ability make him the ideal recruit for a high-tempo style of play.
The Italian publication reported that AC Milan are keen on the Frenchman who has revealed his admiration for the Italian giants. But they will need to spend big and stave off competition from United and West Ham if they are to land the former RC Strasbourg star.
Monaco would demand a minimum of €30 million for the midfielder whose contract ends in 2025. Also the “magnificent” player currently earns around €55,000 per week and wants an improvement on that as well.
Fofana race on
While Milan will go all out for the Paris-born star, both the Red Devils and the Hammers will not let the Serie A side get their man without a fight.
“Monaco knows that Fofana will pack his bags and they do not intend to stop him. But they expect to collect a figure close to 30 million euros from his sale.
“Milan has competition above all from Premier League clubs: last summer Nottingham Forest tried, this year watch out for West Ham and Manchester United,” the report stated.
Fofana has two goals and three assists in 28 games from a deep-lying position which is always a boon for any team. Monaco are currently third in Ligue 1 and Fofana wants to leave on a high, after guiding his current club back to the Champions League.
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