A year ago
According to a reliable source, Man Utd appear to have missed out on signing a record holder that could prove to be a bargain, although some comfort comes from the fact that City have also been snubbed.
The Mirror previously reported that Man Utd are ready to fight to sign Benfica star Cher Ndour.
The 6ft 3in tall central midfielder joined Benfica from Atalanta in 2020 and became the club's youngest player to represent their B team.
At 16 years and 279 days, Ndour broke the record previously held by João Felix (16 years 312 days).
Now 18, Ndour has been compared to Paul Pogba and a frantic race to get his service in the summer of 2023 has been highly anticipated. Ndour's current contract with Benfica is set to expire this summer. Therefore, a player who is supposed to go to the top can and will leave without paying a transfer fee.
The Mirror suggested that Man Utd were in a mix, while The Sun later said local rivals Man City were also a candidate.
From mainland Europe, Juventus, AC Milan and PSG also liked what they saw. However, The Sun reports that Ndour would not be in favor of a return to his native Italy, thus ruling out Juve and Milan. That leaves only Man Utd, Man City and PSG in dispute. According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG will win.
The transfer specialist tweeted on June 13:
"PSG has overtaken a top British club in the race for Ndour's signature as negotiations are fast approaching their final stages."
The identity of the English team is yet to be made clear, although both Manchester clubs will miss out.
A new update from Romano on Monday morning picked up the story. Indeed, the reliable reporter added that Ndour at PSG is now 'a matter of time'. In addition, a deal is said to be currently "in place".
PSG will not have to pay a transfer fee for Ndour, but will have to pay training compensation for Benfica and Atalanta.
However, that pales in comparison to the transfer fee Ndour would normally demand if he had a contract.
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