Manchester United and Fabinho: A look at current situation, competition, and transfer fee

 

One could likely find any reporting they want to concerning Manchester United and Fabinho.

From claims of big offers, a deal being close, there’s also the other end with just mild interest reported, and some insistence there’s never been any Manchester United intention whatsoever.

Fabinho remains a popular topic among Manchester United fans, especially at a time of growing frustration. It’s still June, just, so Ed Woodward doesn’t deserve criticism yet, but after claims Jose Mourinho wanted his business done by the end of this month, fans were given unrealistic expectations.

What can’t be escaped is that if Manchester United had really, truly, wanted Fabinho, and Mourinho was pushing, a deal probably would have been done by now.

Fabinho was one of the players earmarked early for a possible Monaco exit, with the feeling being it’s probably his turn. There was always a danger of Monaco not wanting to sell both Tiémoué Bakayoko and Fabinho in the same window, so getting in there early made sense.

Suggestions of Manchester United offering €50m and a deal not being done are hard to match up with the situation at hand. Offering such a figure earlier in the market would almost certainly have resulted in a transfer, especially given the player’s clear Manchester United temptation.

Friday’s edition of L’Equipe covers renewed PSG interest in Fabinho, and efforts to sign the player. But even they don’t sound too sure, using the Daily Record to back them up.

From the French side of the information, L’Equipe report Monaco haven’t received any offers from PSG. Of all the clubs to sell Fabinho to, PSG would surely be the last which Monaco would pick, but even so, it’s stated a fee would be ‘nearly €50m’.

That further underlines a €50m Manchester United offer would almost certaintly have been accepted, especially given it was earlier in the window.

Atletico Madrid are dragged in, and they’ve offered €35m, with Fabinho remaining at Monaco until the winter transfer window. L’Equipe say Monaco would prefer to sell Fabinho to Atletico, partly because they’re not a Ligue 1 rival.

For the purpose of keeping Manchester United at the table, let’s suppose Woodward has been in a transfer coma since signing Victor Lindelof, and woke up this morning. If €50m was put on the table today, there’d be a very good chance of the deal still being done, and quickly.

And that’s regardless of Bakayoko, or anything else.