Manchester United came close to signing Napoli’s Faouzi Ghoulam in the past, according to Italian journalist Ciro Venerato.
The Napoli expert appeared as a guest on Goal Show and gave a background into the efforts made by the Red Devils to sign the now 31-year-old.
However, he has not specified as to when the Old Trafford side made an attempt in bringing the left-back to Manchester United.
“Faouzi Ghoulam was in my opinion the strongest left-back in Europe. It was no coincidence that Manchester United had practically bought him from Napoli, investing an amount equal to about sixty million euros,” Venerato said, as relayed by Area Napoli.
“And Aurelio De Laurentiis’s club had also taken his replacement: Grimaldo from Benfica. Ghoulam was really strong, that’s why the fans did not accept Mario Rui willingly. Not because the Portuguese is not good, but because they still have the old Ghoulam in mind.”
The Serie A side took the former Algeria international from Saint-Étienne in 2014 and after having made a handful of starts in his first season, he started featuring regularly in the next three campaigns, making 78 league starts.
Ghoulam, however, struggled with injuries and poor form as he has made only 31 starts since the start of the 2017/18 season.
It’s quite possible that Manchester United could have made an attempt in signing the player before his anterior cruciate ligament rupture against Manchester City in November 2017.
