Manchester United were interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye ahead of this season, only for an approach never to materialise because other players didn’t leave.
A central midfielder is one of the final pieces in the jigsaw for United and remains a target alongside a long-term ‘number nine’. The club remained linked with options like Ruben Neves, Yves Bissouma and Eduardo Camavinga right up until the summer transfer deadline.
A report from the Daily Mail now adds that Gueye was a midfielder that United were interested in signing. It is said that Old Trafford chief negotiator Matt Judge specifically turned his attention to the PSG star when Declan Rice was priced out of the market by West Ham’s lofty valuation.
It is claimed that Gueye, who previously impressed in the Premier League with Aston Villa and Everton prior to a £30m switch to PSG in 2019, was open to leaving the French capital on account of increasing competition for places in the squad.
Gueye was 31 at the time, now 32, and could only ever have been a short-term option for United compared to players like the aforementioned Rice or Neves, but he could have filled a void as defensive midfielder has been the squad’s biggest weakness this season.
The Mail’s report explains that ‘various meetings and conversations’ were held about the possibility of signing Gueye, only for the club not to go ahead with a firm offer because Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard all stayed at Old Trafford.
Failing to move on existing players ensured that United, having also spent big money on Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and, by the end of August, Cristiano Ronaldo, didn’t have the budget to accommodate another signing when resources have been stretched since 2020.
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Source : 90min