£30m star ‘very, very happy’ despite missing out on Manchester United move

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Youssouf Fofana is losing no sleep after his aborted move to Manchester United while insisting that he is still ‘very, very happy’ at Monaco. 

It’s probably safe to suggest France international’s mood will have been helped by Monaco’s outstanding start to the new Ligue 1 season. Adi Hutter’s side are sitting pretty in top spot, unbeaten after five games.

If things weren’t going quite so swimmingly for the Principality outfit, perhaps Youssouf Fofana would not be feeling as positive about his future at Stade Louis II, Fabrizio Romano reporting that Monaco rejected a loan bid from Manchester United for their powerhouse playmaker.

Manchester United miss out on Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana

“Sincerely, I was between staying and leaving,” Fofana tells Get France Football News, adding that a departure may have come at the wrong time with his place in Les Bleus’ squad not yet totally secure ahead of Euro 2024.

“I’ve always said I have no problem with staying, especially at a club like Monaco. (We) are always competing at the top.

“I have personal expectations and objectives. Maybe a departure wasn’t the best thing for me. I am very, very happy to have stayed and to have this status in this team.”

According to the Daily Mail, Monaco value Fofana in the region of £30 million, but rejected an offer of around that amount from Nottingham Forest before the window closed.

Ten Hag signs Sofyan Amrabat instead

Whether Manchester United would have been tempted to stump up a considerable sum of their own is a rather moot point, Erik ten Hag restricted to loan deals – like the one which brought in Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina – as the Red Devils looked to steer clear of potential Financial Fair Play sanctions.

Paris-born Fofana has 11 caps for his country, and featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. With Casemiro and Christian Eriksen not getting any younger, United could still come calling again next year, especially if Amrabat does not do enough to earn himself a full-time contract at Old Trafford.