Man Utd ‘closely monitoring’ French force as Serie A side become threat for holding midfielder
Youssouf Fofana is being linked with Man Utd, Juventus and PSG
Manchester United are still on the trail of Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, according to reports in France – but two European giants are also in contention to sign him.
Fofana has been linked with Man Utd as a possible successor to Casemiro in defensive midfield. The Frenchman has only missed a single minute of Monaco’s 12 Ligue 1 matches so far this season.
In the process, he has caught the attention of Man Utd. According to RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins, the Red Devils are ‘closely monitoring’ Fofana and how he is developing.
Monaco only have the 24-year-old under contract until the end of next season, so could be vulnerable to him taking the next step in 2024.
However, Man Utd are not the only suitors in the running for Fofana. Hawkins has revealed that Serie A side Juventus have been scouting him in recent months and are interested in firming up their status as contenders for his signature.
Juventus are suffering from a shortage of midfielders because of bans for Nicolo Fagioli (betting) and ex-Man Utd star Paul Pogba (doping).
In addition, Paris Saint-Germain are paying a similar amount of attention to Fofana as Man Utd are. Obviously, they would be able to keep him in Ligue 1 while presumably lifting him to Champions League level.
His only previous experiences in Europe’s top competition have been in the qualifying rounds, but he has played in the Europa League for Monaco.
Fofana’s preferred next step has not yet been disclosed. He has played for Monaco since January 2020, when they bought him from Strasbourg.
Monaco have since given Fofana more than 150 appearances and the only two league matches he missed last season were because of suspension.
Another symbol of Fofana’s progress has been the fact that he has earned 13 caps for France after Didier Deschamps gave him his senior international debut last September.
At club level, either Man Utd or Juventus could give him a chance to broaden his horizons outside of French football.
Fofana could succeed Casemiro
As stated, Man Utd are mulling over the idea of investing into a replacement for Casemiro.
TEAMtalk recently revealed that the club will not push the former Real Madrid midfield anchor out, but could listen to offers if appropriate ones arrive (perhaps from Saudi Arabia), since he is not a long-term solution in his role.
Casemiro, 31, has missed Man Utd’s last four league games through injury, prompting Erik ten Hag to deploy a pairing of Scott McTominay and either Christian Eriksen or Sofyan Amrabat.
The Brazilian is still under contract at Old Trafford until 2026, but would be into his mid-thirties by then – and reports have claimed Sir Jim Ratcliffe would encourage the club to look to the future with someone else.
