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Manchester United seriously considered bringing Xavi Simons to Old Trafford last summer.
The Peoples Person have previously reported that Simons was a target Erik ten Hag considered as he sought to reinforce his midfield.
At the time, it was thought that the gifted Dutch midfielder was being considered alongside a list of names such as Sofyan Amrabat, who has finally arrived at Old Trafford on an initial loan.
Now, as Fabrizio Romano reports, it appears that the club’s interest in Simons was more serious than it appeared at the time, with Man United only narrowly missing out on their man.
According to the trusted journalist, “They had some calls, Erik ten Hag was really keen on bringing Xavi Simmons to Manchester United.”
According to Romano’s report, the decision ultimately came down to Simons who eventually bought into the PSG project.
Simmons who had left PSG for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, just the season before, saw his former club exercise their buy-back option.
He was re-signed by the French giants and promptly loaned to RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.
The expectation, now, is that he will be returning to PSG once the season is over.
That said, if Erik ten Hag retains an interest in the player, the club may very well be tempted to make one more attempt to sign him next summer.
And if so, United’s confidence will be buoyed by the fact that, according to Romano, the Manchester giants were in pole position to land his signature, had PSG not exercised their right to buy him back.
With United now having brought in both Mason Mount and Amarabat, a move for an additional midfielder may not likely be a priority for a while.
