Como manager Cesc Fabregas has insisted that prising 19-year-old prospect Assane Diao away from the Serie A club may not be as straightforward as they like.
Winger Diao has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for some time now after making a big impression since his January move from Real Betis, with Liverpool and Newcastle also claimed to be interested in the Senegal international.
The teenager has racked up six goals and an assist in just 13 games for his new club, prompting a round of speculation last month that led Como president Mirwan Suwarso to explain that selling players on for a quick profit is not part of the club’s business plan.
Instead, the newly-promoted side – currently 13th in Serie A – are more focused on getting their recent signings to keep pushing them up the table as they aim to become a force in Italian football under the ownership of Indonesian tobacco giants Djarum.
Suwarso said then: “Maybe in three or four years, because it would be naive to say that player sales aren’t part of the business. And we’re not short on money – we are well-backed.”
Fabregas has now moved to echo that sentiment, intriguingly namechecking United in the process – though of course it’s entirely possible that he was simply responding directly to the rumours connecting Diao with the Red Devils to make his point.
MORE ON MANCHESTER UNITED FROM F365
👉 Man Utd’s five-man shortlist to replace Onana as Amorim ‘considers’ change for Newcastle
👉 Chelsea told they are losing battle to sign PL star with Man Utd ‘nailed on’ to complete transfer
👉 Onana is terrible but ‘calamitous’ De Gea ‘was never good enough’ for Man Utd either
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder responded to questions about Diao’s future to SportItalia, as relayed by Sport Witness: “There is no mentality of speculating and selling, [players] come here to grow and improve the team.
“Then obviously, Manchester [United] can come and ask for Diao by offering €40m (£34.7m), but it is not a given that he will leave.
“The objective is to create a path, with players who are functional to the characteristics, working with them. Obviously the value increases, but the important thing is that they are the right players for us.”
Fabregas hung up his boots after a spell playing for Como and had a one-month spell as interim boss in late 2023 before taking the job full time last summer
