Could Jonathan Clauss have been another signing for Manchester United in this transfer window?
It seems to have been the case.
But you might be asking, who is Jonathan Clauss?
Good question.
Clauss is a France defender who was on the books of Marseille when the enquiry from the Red Devils would have come in.
The 31-year-old is a bit of a late bloomer.
He only received his first France national team cap at the age of 29, but has since made 22 appearances for his country.
Predominantly a right-back, Clauss is also adapt at playing in the left-back position.
Due to his age and flexibility, he could have proved to be a shrewd signing to bolster both sides of the defence.
Alas, it was not to be.
OGC Nice, one of the clubs owned by United part owners INEOS, have instead announced the signing of the player for a fee of €5m plus add ons.
But L’Equipe have shared some more detail around the move.
Jonathan Clauss rejects Manchester United
Apparently, United made a play for the defender in this summers window.
It’s reported that Clauss felt more comfortable with the vision for him at Nice than at United.
Which makes sense.
Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw are the certified starters for United in their respective positions.
Jonathan Clauss would likely have been a squad player than a regular starter.
For someone starring in Ligue 1 and playing for the French national team, he likely wanted to continue playing guaranteed first team football. So the move to Nice would have made more sense.
It does, however, indicate that the new men in charge of transfers at United are not being left for wanted.
It’s no secret that Manchester United are open to selling Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer.
West Ham United are the most likely destination for the right back.
With that in mind, it seems that the transfer powers-that-be tried to bring in some early reinforcements to mitigate any transfers out.
Having missed out on Clauss, United have since seemingly moved on.
Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui has agreed terms on a transfer to the club. It seems that transfer will inevitably be completed as soon as Wan-Bissaka departs Old Trafford.
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