Upamecano confirms he turned down Manchester United move, Lingard could be a part of the Sancho deal

Dortmund 1-0 Freiburg - Jadon Sancho kept Borussia in title hunt

Upamecano turned down Manchester United

RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano has revealed that he had the chance to join Manchester United five years ago, but he chose to turn them down.

The Frenchman is on his way to Bayern Munich at the end of this season, and he claims that he chose to turn down the Premier League giants because he wanted to carry out this development as a footballer step by step.

A move to Old Trafford five years ago would have been a massive step up in his career, and he could have easily faded away like many other young talents.

Instead, he chose to join a club that believes in nurturing young players and helping them fulfil their potential.

Furthermore, Upamecano adds that RB Salzburg sporting director Ralf Rangnick made a convincing argument which played a key role in his decision to move to the Austrian club.

Upamecano told The Athletic: “I was a young boy. I wanted to sign for them straight away. Manchester United! But then my parents took me aside and said: ‘Let’s think carefully about this.”

He added: “We thought about it for a long time and then decided that going ‘etape par etape’ (step by step) was the best option for me. Everything Ralf said came true.”

Lingard could be a part of the Sancho deal

Meanwhile, Manchester United are determined to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, this summer and they are prepared to use Jesse Lingard as a potential makeweight in the deal.

The 28-year-old is currently on loan at West Ham United, and he has been outstanding for the London club.

There is no doubt that Lingard could be a useful player for Dortmund next season, and it remains to be seen whether the German outfit are willing to accept him as a part of the deal to sell Sancho.

Sancho has been in exceptional form this season, and he would be a stunning addition to the Manchester United attack.