Paris St Germain star Marquinhos claims Manchester United, along with Barcelona, expressed an interest in signing him during the summer transfer window.
The 20-year-old is regarded as one of the best young defenders in European football, having initially developed through the youth ranks at Corinthians in his homeland before heading to Italy and Roma in the summer of 2012 when the Giallorossi paid just €3million for his signature.
Marquinhos only spent one season in Serie A, during which he made 26 appearances, before PSG lured him to the French capital for €31million. And the Brazilian claims his stay in Ligue 1 could also have been brief as two of the biggest clubs in world football chased his signature last year.
“Yes, Manchester United wanted me and Barcelona too,” he told Telefoot. “Those two clubs negotiated with PSG but the directors did not give them any option. That gave me confidence. The president and the coach are happy with me. It would be good to renew [my contract] for Paris.”
It is certainly clear that Louis van Gaal wanted to add to his defensive options in the summer, although it has long been thought that Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund star, was his top choice. Instead the Dutch coach landed Marcos Rojo, the Argentina international, from Sporting Lisbon.
Barcelona, meanwhile, were also add to their back four options ahead of the current season with Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen. However, the latter, a £15million recruit from Arsenal, has endured a torrid time in Spain and has yet to make his debut due to injury problems.
