Jose Mourinho has reportedly ruled out a move for Fabinho this summer despite being keen on signing the Brazilian for more than a month now.
According to a report by Manchester Evening News, Manchester United’s interest in Fabinho has ended abruptly as the club is no longer keen on signing the 23-year-old.
The Manchester United manager is understood to be more focused on procuring a holding midfielder and has his sight set on Nemanja Matic and Eric Dier – two of the players eligible to fill the role. But it is understood he will not pursue a deal for Fabinho.
The Brazilian started out playing as a full-back but then changed to a holding midfield role and since he has ample experience in both, he can be extremely versatile. In his first season as a Monaco player, Fabinho was excellent as a midfielder and made 34 Ligue 1 appearances and scored six times.
The Brazilian international enjoyed an outstanding campaign for French champions Monaco last season. Despite the success, several Monaco players are expected to leave this summer and he is likely to be one of them, along with Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kylian Mbappe.
The midfielder was especially key to Monaco’s brilliant Champions League run into the semi-finals and also recorded an impressive performance against Manchester City, who were also reportedly in the fray to sign Fabinho.
Mourinho’s desire to bring Fabinho to United might have ended but it is easy to see that he wanted to provide Ander Herrera with the ideal central midfield partner. Fabinho’s presence would also give Paul Pogba greater scope and freedom for creativity.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Serbian star Nemanja Matic is understood to be keen on a reunion with his old boss but a deal might be tricky to land since the Blues might not be too happy about selling a player to a rival club. If they manage to sign Bakayoko though, they might consider doing so.
Signing Matic will serve all the purposes United are seeking to fulfill – a replacement for Michael Carrick, a partner for Ander Herrera and the player whose presence can allow Pogba more scope for creativity and experimentation up front. The Red Devils are also seeking to sign a central defender, central midfielder, winger and striker.
