Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani has revealed that Manchester United dropped a “now or never” ultimatum after the Italian side told them they did not want to sell Patrick Dorgu in January.
United made two signings in January – Dorgu and Ayden Heaven. The former – an experienced left wing-back – should fit perfectly into Ruben Amorim’s system, which utilises wide defenders higher up the field.
United made an initial approach to Lecce, which was knocked back, but eventually managed to get the deal over the line. Their stance on the deal helped the signing come to fruition, as the Serie A side’s president revealed the pressure the Red Devils applied.
“It is our record transfer and it happens in our moment of great economic health,” he said.
“We said several times that Dorgu would not leave in January, and now I will explain why the opposite happened. Manchester United arrived, who made themselves heard with us and with the boy’s entourage, receiving an official response from us that I leave here, in which we said that we had no intention of letting Dorgu leave in January. And not talking about figures, not asking for increases.
“This, instead of stopping United, had the opposite effect. Manchester insisted, we asked several times to postpone everything until the summer, also promising the young man that he would not miss the opportunity.
“For us too it was a historic step, we just wanted to do it in July. The English communicated to us their desire, the club and their coach, to be immediate. There was an ultimatum – ‘now or never’ – also giving this message to the player himself.”
For Lecce, though they would have likely sold Dorgu in the summer to another side, they may not have gotten the same financial security from the deal that United offered, which was why they chose to sell.
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Fabrizio Romano has revealed the reasons the Red Devils went after Dorgu so hard in January, rather than waiting for the summer, were that there was competition then which could have seen them lose the race.
“Man United wanted to get the deal done in January as they were aware of Napoli and Juventus both keen on Dorgu for the summer transfer window,” he said.
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