Monaco's Benoit Badiashile explains decision to reject Manchester United
By Tom Gott
Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile has revealed he has no regrets about rejecting a move to Manchester United last summer.
The 19-year-old is one of many French youngsters currently taking Europe by storm. After a few tricky seasons, Badiashile is currently shining at the heart of Monaco's defence as they look to prove themselves as Ligue 1 contenders once again.
However, it could have all been different had Badiashile accepted a move to United last summer. The Red Devils tabled a bid of around £22m for the teenager, but Monaco knocked it back and quickly warned United they would have to make an offer close to the £58m they could end up paying for Anthony Martial, who swapped Monaco for Manchester in 2015.
Speaking to RMC Sport, Badiashile insisted he was not disappointed to see the move collapse as he wanted to stay and develop in France instead.
"It was the right choice," he said. "First off, I have not enjoyed good seasons since I have been at Monaco.
"We played to stay up and so now I am really experiencing the top of the table and I think that continuing with the club that formed me was the right decision and this is being proved by the season that we are having."
When asked if he regretted not pushing for the move, Badiashile simply responded: "No, not at all
."
United rejected the chance to sign an alternative to Badiashile and instead persisted with the duo of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, with Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe as cover, but they are expected to pursue another centre-back when the summer transfer window opens.
Interestingly, Badiashile's name is yet to come up in the rumour mill. He's the kind of young, experienced defender that most top sides are on the hunt for this summer, but most seem to have other targets.
A recent report revealed that United's shortlist features Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, Sevilla's Jules Kounde, Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings and Braga's David Carmo, while Villarreal's Pau Torres is also on their radar.