Manchester United tried to open talks to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Italian club were prepared to let their No.1 leave for a fee of €30m (£25m) and he was strongly linked to Chelsea before a move collapsed.
It has now emerged that United tried to hijack the deal – but L’Équipe reports that the project at Old Trafford ‘didn’t suit’ the France international.
United needed a new goalkeeper to replace Andre Onana and ended up signing Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp in a £18m deal instead.
Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda is a huge fan of Maignan and labelled him as ‘a leader’ back in June.
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‘I’ve seen a lot of him,’ Malouda told bet365. ‘Especially because he has come from French Guiana and he is also our goalkeeper with the France national team, he has a lot of experience.
‘He’s a leader in the dressing room… His mindset is something that the dressing room needs. I think he would be a good signing.’
It is understood that Maignan has never been closer to leaving AC Milan after recent developments.
The 30-year-old has been in talks over a contract extension at AC Milan but those discussions are not advancing.
It’s likely that Maignan will leave AC Milan as a free agent at the end of the season but no final decision has been made just yet.
Meanwhile, it has come to light that Ruben Amorim wanted to sign Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa instead of Lammens.
Amorim would’ve ‘likely’ pushed for Martinez over Lammens if it wasn’t for goalkeeping scout Tony Coton and director of football Jason Wilcox.
United scout Coton had been banging the drum for Lammens ‘relentlessly’ to Wilcox for 12 months.
It is said that Wilcox and the United recruitment team have been keen to prevent over-indulgence in transfers.
United’s decision to bring in Lammens has paid off with the Belgian enjoying a fine start at Old Trafford.
‘He’s doing really well,’ Amorim told TNT Sports following the 2-2 draw between Tottenham and United on Saturday.
‘He’s very adult, and he understands that in a game, a lot of things can happen, but especially for a goalkeeper, you need to move on from anything that happened in the last minute.
‘So it’s like a new game every time the ball is on the pitch. I think [despite being] 23 years old, he understands that quite well.’