Richarlison confirms Man Utd transfer offer and Barcelona interest but decided to stay with Everton earlier in season
RICHARLISON has confirmed that Manchester United attempted to snare him away from Goodison Park in January, amid interest from Barcelona.
The Everton marksman did not want to abandon his Toffees teammates midway through the campaign.
Everton forked out £50m to bring the Brazilian forward to Goodison Park from Watford in 2018 and since then, he has netted 24 times in 66 appearances, including ten top-flight goals this season.
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In January he attracted interest from across Europe including Barca and the Red devils.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been considering a swoop for the 23-year-old for months and was ready to come in with a staggering £70million.
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti saw Richarlison as central to his re-building plans and the hotshot didn't want to leave the Blues midway through the campaign.
The striker told Desimpedidos: "There were lots of offers during the season, from Barcelona and from Manchester United,
"But the club opted to keep me in the group and I didn’t want to leave in the middle of the season. It’s bad to leave team-mates like this."
Barca reportedly failed with a mega £85million bid for the Everton star as they looked to replace the injury-plagued Luiz Suarez.
PSG and Atletico Madrid also sent scouts to watch the Brazil ace during the season, but didn't make a move.
The Toffees star has settled at Goodison Park but remains a long-standing admirer of United - admitting that he had goosebumps when he first played at the The Theatre of Dreams.
He added: "When I arrived at Old Trafford, the sun was shining right in the middle of the pitch,
"I was impressed because it’s a beautiful stadium. You arrive there and feel an atmosphere that’s different."
Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has long been at the top of United's transfer wishlist.
Old Trafford are reportedly willing to play the waiting game for the BVB ace until Dortmund lower his £100million transfer fee.
Highly-rated Napoli defender Kalidou Kouliably is also a top target but Liverpool are poised to hijack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's long standing plans to partner the Senegal ace alongside Harry Maguire at centre-half.