Uruguayan international Diego Godin has revealed why he rejected a move to Manchester United on the English transfer deadline day.
Atletico Madrid’s star centre-back and captain Diego Godin has revealed that he rejected a chance to move to Manchester United earlier this month due to personal reasons, as per reports from Daily Mail.
The Uruguayan international, widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the modern game, was subject of an eleventh hour bid from the Premier League giants on the English transfer deadline day, after they had conceded defeat in their pursuit of Leicester City centre-half Harry Maguire.
Reportedly, Manchester United were willing to meet Godin’s £18 million release clause and had tabled a lucrative two-year contract worth £150,000-a-week in wages. However, the 32-year old decided against a switch to the Old Trafford, with reports claiming that he was set to sign a new contract with Los Colchoneros.
There were claims that the player and his agents had used Manchester United’s interest in order to extract a better contract from Atleti, similar to what Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos had done a few summers ago.
Ahead of Atletico’s UEFA Super Cup tie against Real Madrid on Wednesday, the Uruguayan defender said, “I have had offers. Although I have decided to stay for personal reasons and I am only thinking about the final. But I have not extended my contract. I saw that news came out but I do not know where it came from.”
Manchester United endured an extremely frustrating summer transfer window, that saw them miss out on a number of targets. The 20-time English champions were keen on bringing in a new central defender heading into the 2018-19 campaign and had earmarked Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur as their primary target.
However, after being priced out of a move by Tottenham, they turned their attention towards Maguire only to be disappointed once again. There were brief links with Colombian international Yerry Mina as well, but the defender ended up joining Everton from Barcelona.
Despite his age, Godin remains a top-class defender, as he showcased in the summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup with Uruguay. Given his experience at the top level, the 32-year old’s acquisition could have proven to be a great coup for Manchester United.
However, he opted not to make the switch to England. It seems to have worked out rather well for Godin, as he led Atletico to their first silverware of the new season, when they beat neighbours Real Madrid 4-2 to lift the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
