Niko Kovac has confirmed that Monaco will be keeping hold of Benoit Badiashile for the forthcoming season after the club reportedly rejected a sizeable bid from Manchester United for the defender.
The Red Devils are looking to bring in a centre-half with pace to make up for Harry Maguire’s lack of mobility at the heart of their defence and identified Badiashile as a potential target ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
Discussions took place between United and Monaco over a possible deal for Badiashile earlier this summer and the Premier League giants lodged a €25million (£22m) offer for the 19-year-old Frenchman.
However, Monaco made it clear they had no plans to sell the the youngster and swiftly rejected the bid.
‘Our aim is to take him to the next level,’ Monaco head coach Kovac told Telefoot Chaine this week.
‘If he plays a lot of matches with us in Ligue 1, which is a very good league, he will improve, that is certain.
‘We do not want to sell him, that is very clear, he will stay here this season. I think that this is the best solution for him.
‘He has his club here, his family. He knows the environment.’
Martial became the most expensive teenager in the history of football back in 2015 as he swapped Monaco for Old Trafford in a shock £36m deal.
It’s understood Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano is the Red Devils’ priority target at centre-half.
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