The real reason Man Utd didn’t try signing Brentford star Mamadou Sangare | Football
Manchester United closely monitored Brentford star Mamadou Sangare this summer before he joined the Bees.
United focused their efforts on rebuilding their midfield during the summer transfer window. After a move for Brazilian midfielder Ederson fell through, they quickly snapped up Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.
They finished the job by signing Carlos Baleba in August. United pursued a move last year but interest was shelved due to Brighton’s asking price which was in the excess of £100million. This summer, they got the deal done for £65m plus £5m in add-ons.
The club missed out on other targets with Elliot Anderson preferring to join Manchester City. Tottenham meanwhile beat them in the race to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United.
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Clubs across the Premier League invested heavily in their midfields with Brentford landing Mali international Sangare for a club record fee of £41million from Lens.
The 24-year-old enjoyed a fantastic debut in the opening game of the season, scooping the man of the match award against Tottenham.
Sangare was monitored closely by United with the club’s data analytics team favourably comparing his numbers last season to those of Fernandes at West Ham, according to ESPN.
The report states however United have ‘struggled with the recent trend of agents preferring to move clients into mid-level clubs’ in the Premier League.
It adds Sangare and his representatives opted for Brentford given the greater promise of first-team minutes before eventually earning a more lucrative move to a top six side later down the line.
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It is part of a trend that saw Moises Caicedo thrive at Brighton before joining Chelsea for £115m. United’s new arrival Baleba could also be categorised, joining the Seagulls for £23million in 2023 with the club tripling their money this summer.
After Sangare’s thrilling start to life in the Premier League, pundit Jamie Redknapp believes his value will similarly skyrocket.
‘The best business I like is Sangare at Brentford,’ Redknapp said.
‘I think he’s going to be a wonderful signing for them. He’ll probably be worth £120million in a few years. He’ll go to Brentford, establish himself as a top player.’
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