Liverpool newcomer Fabinho has revealed he was “never close” to joining Manchester United amid speculation the Old Trafford club nearly prised the midfielder away from their eternal rivals
Fabinho, 24, enjoyed five seasons on the French Riviera with Monaco, including the club’s famous Ligue 1 title triumph during the 2016/17 season, but the Brazilian left the French principality to join Liverpool this summer for a fee in the region of £44m.
Jurgen Klopp revealed his desire to bolster the Reds’ midfield options following the departure of Emre Can to Juventus, and the club have so far recruited Fabinho and Naby Keita, with the former Real Madrid player revealing to FourFourTwo that his desired destination was always Anfield.
He said: “Yes, [it was] very easy. I was sad to leave Monaco, a club that gave me a lot of great moments, but in football sometimes you need new challenges and I thought it was time to move on.
“As soon as Liverpool declared their interest in signing me, it was a simple decision to make. A club with Liverpool’s history wants you? Come on, you just pack your bags and go. It will be an honour to wear the famous red shirt.”
Jose Mourinho has also been keen to strengthen his midfield armoury this summer as club icon Michael Carrick called time on his playing career; Fabinho was touted to make the switch to Old Trafford, but he has since dismissed that this was ever a possibility.
He added: “I was never close to signing for Manchester United, no. I heard things said about it, but the truth is it was never a strong possibility.
“I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco, but there was never an official offer from United.”
The Portuguese tactician has since signed Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, who is currently on duty with the Brazil squad for this summer’s World Cup, while Fabinho is getting used to his new surroundings in England following manager Tite’s decision to omit him from his final 23-man squad.
The post Liverpool signing Fabinho reveals the real story behind Man Utd links appeared first on Squawka News.
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