Liverpool New Boy Insists He Was Never Close to Joining Manchester United After Arriving at Melwood

New Liverpool signing Fabinho has revealed that he had his heart set on joining Liverpool as soon as he learned of their interest in him.

The Brazilian joined Liverpool earlier this summer for a fee of around £45m, but Fabinho was heavily linked with joining up with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United beforehand.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Fabinho discussed the links with Manchester United and revealed that there was never any concrete offer from the Red Devils.

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Fabinho admitted: "I was never close to signing for Manchester United, no. I heard things said about it, but the truth is it was never a strong possibility. I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco, but there was never an official offer from United."

Fabinho has been a dominant force in Monaco's midfield in recent years, proving to be a key figure in the team's success. He helped the team to the Ligue 1 title in 2016/17, as well as a Champions League semi final appearance. He made 233 appearances for the side since 2013.

However, he revealed that the decision to leave Monaco in favour of Liverpool was a straightforward one.

The 24-year-old admitted: "Yes, [it was] very easy. I was sad to leave Monaco, a club that gave me a lot of great moments, but in football sometimes you need new challenges and I thought it was time to move on.

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"As soon as Liverpool declared their interest in signing me, it was a simple decision to make. A club with Liverpool’s history wants you? Come on, you just pack your bags and go. It will be an honour to wear the famous red shirt."

Liverpool have also bolstered their midfield with the arrival from Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, who agreed a deal to join Liverpool last summer which allowed him to remain with the Bundesliga side for one more season.