Thiago Scuro: ‘Youssouf Fofana made the choice to stay at Monaco.’

Youssouf Fofana (24) was heavily tipped to leave AS Monaco, however, he ultimately remained at the Principality club. Les Monégasques’ sporting director Thiago Scuro has now revealed that it was Fofana himself who made the choice to remain at the club this summer. 

Premier League sides, notably Nottingham Forest and Fulham showed a strong interest in the France international midfielder. According to RMC Sport, the former even made an offer for Fofana that Monaco were willing to accept, however, he was not prepared to make the move. 

“I was between staying and leaving. I’ve always said I have no problem with staying, especially at a club like Monaco, who are always competing at the top. I have personal expectations and objectives. Maybe a departure wasn’t the best thing for me,” said Fofana in September during a press conference attended by Get French Football News. 

Fofana added that he was “very, very happy” that he stayed at the club. Monaco are in the race for the title this season and are just three points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. 

Top European sides continue to circle Fofana

In an exclusive interview with Nice-Matin, Scuro has now confirmed that Fofana decided that he wanted to remain at the club to continue his development. “He deserves most of the credit,” began Scuro, who replaced Paul Mitchell as sporting director in the summer. 

“He believes in our project and made the decision to stay longer at Monaco to continue his development. He has high ambitions with the France national team and AS Monaco,” he added. Fofana will want to have a strong season with Euro 2024 just months away. He certainly did his chances of being included in that squad no harm by netting twice for Les Bleus during the recent international break. 

However, whilst Fofana committed to the club in the summer, top clubs are still following him. RMC Sport recently reported interest from Manchester United in particular, whilst Fabrizio Romano added that “top European clubs” were in the running to sign the former RC Strasbourg Alsace midfielder. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle