Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile has confirmed he is subject to a Manchester United transfer approach this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking for a new defender to play alongside Harry Maguire. With a plethora of names linked, United have reportedly expressed interest in the France U21 defender Badiashile.
The 19-year-old has had a great campaign for Niko Kovac’s side who have launched a surprise bid for Ligue 1 glory. Badiashile has scored two goals in 25 appearances and has been a rock at the heart of their defense.
Badiashile’s potential was spotted at a very young age by Thierry Henry, who pushed the 17-year-old into his Monegasque team. He has made good progress since then, leading to rumors of United interest last summer.
Now the defender has confirmed United saw a £ 22million bid fail – but he has no regrets about the move fail.
He said RMC Sport: “It was the right choice, first of all, I haven’t had good seasons since I came to Monaco.
“We played to stay put and now I’m really living the top of the table. I think continuing with the club that trained me was the right decision. This is proven by the season we have. “
Pressed further to find out if he had any regrets about missing a move, he replied, “No, not at all.”
Solskjaer is expected to make signing a new defender his main focus this summer. United recently turned down the possibility of signing Dayot Upamecano for a very specific reason.
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Scholes slams Victor Lindelof
United’s need for a new defender is certainly seen by specialist Paul Scholes.
Former United midfielder even named and ashamed Victor Lindelof as ‘shy’ and a reason for their failure to fight for the best trophies.
“I think that’s what’s keeping them from being a team that can fight for the league, or maybe the Champions League, for the best trophies, let’s say.
To choose Lindelof in particular, Scholes added: “I think in the middle of the defense, Lindelof in particular, they lack authority.
“He can be bullied, sometimes he’s not strong enough. i think both [Lindelof and Harry Maguire] can be very shy. They don’t really command or intimidate the center forwards, they don’t really demand from the rest of the squad. I think those two positions in particular are huge for teams going to win the league.
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