Man Utd prepare BIG January offer for French star who ‘fell from the sky’ – report
Manchester United made three major midfield signings in the summer transfer window, bringing in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba from Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion, respectively, but it seems that Red Devils manager Michael Carrick wants another player for the middle of the park, per a report.
Santos has managed just 83 minutes in the Premier League for Man Utd since his move in the summer, while Tielemans has looked a shadow of the player he was at Villa.
Baleba has only just recovered from injury and has yet to play for Man Utd this season.
Earlier this month, Ficherio reported that Man Utd are following Youssouf Fofana, who joined Sevilla on loan from AC Milan in the summer transfer window.
The report claimed that Man Utd have been scouting the 27-year-old French midfielder this season.
Sevilla manager Luis Garcia has been hugely impressed with Fofana, who has scored one goal in four LaLiga appearances for the Spanish club so far this season.
Garcia said about Fofana in early October, as quoted in Sempre Milan: “It was an unexpected deal for us, and it allowed us to make a leap in quality.
“We never expected to land this kind of player.
“It was 7:00pm, I was at the club and Fofana was on his way to Olympique Lyonnais, if I remember correctly.
“There was a registration issue or something like that that prevented them from signing him, so they offered him to us.
“They offered him to several teams, and we offered them everything we had left of the salary cap or spending margin.
“When the opportunity arose, we didn’t think twice, because it was an impossible objective for us.
“His salary is mostly paid by AC Milan, and it fell from the sky.
“It’s true that, of all the signings, he’s the only one who arrived above what we can afford. He’s a player who came to us like a gift.”
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Man Utd plan Youssouf Fofana bid
According to VamosMiSevilla on October 8, Man Utd have been so impressed by Fofana that they are ready to make a huge bid for him in the January transfer window.
The Sevilla-centric Spanish news outlet has reported that Man Utd are ‘looking to make the permanent transfer of Youssouf Fofana’ in January.
The report added: ‘The level shown by the international midfielder has completely convinced the sporting management of Manchester United, who urgently need to reinforce their midfield at the beginning of the year.’
Man Utd are reportedly ‘prepared to present a substantial financial offer directly to AC Milan – the club that owns his rights after investing 26 million euros in his signing – to acquire the player permanently in January’.
Man Utd face Youssouf Fofana hurdle
Just because Man Utd want Fofana in the middle of the season and are ready to pay big for him does not mean that they will get the player.
AC Milan manager Ruben Amorim, formerly at Man Utd, clearly does not fancy Fofana, which is why he let the midfielder leave on loan to Sevilla in the summer of 2026.
While Milan themselves might not be opposed to selling Fofana in January, Sevilla have a massive say in his immediate future, according to VamosMiSevilla.
The report stated: ‘The loan agreement with Sevilla FC runs until June 30, 2027, without an option to buy, while AC Milan has a contract with the player until 2028.
‘If the Italian club decides to accept the Premier League’s multi-million dollar offer, it will have to unilaterally break the loan agreement, which would force the Rossoneri to pay a significant financial compensation to Sevilla FC for the early termination.’
