Bologna star Marko Arnautovic reveals Manchester United wanted to buy him when José Mourinho was in charge of the Red Devils but ‘didn’t have enough money.’
The Austria international is a former Inter striker and played under Mourinho at Inter in 2010, when the Nerazzurri won the Treble.
The Special One was not a big fan of the young Arnautovic as he thought he didn’t have the right mentality to be a footballer at a high level. Does the striker think Mou has changed his mind?
“He does, he wanted me when I was at West Ham,” Arnautovic told Sportweek, the weekly magazine published by Gazzetta.
“He told me: ‘How much do you cost?’ And I was like: ‘So, do you still want me?’
“However, his Manchester United side had bought Paul Pogba and didn’t have enough money for me.”
Pogba joined the Red Devils from Juventus in 2016, while Arnautovic played for West Ham from 2017 until 2019.
The Bologna forward was in talks with the Premier League side this summer, but the Rossoblu blocked his move to Old Trafford.
Arnautovic played with Balotelli at Inter and said they were ‘like kids’ when they were together.
“We used to prank our teammates every day, exactly like kids,” admitted Arnautovic.
“Mario used to speed in via Montenapoleone with his supercar to show off with me sitting in the back. He thought he was the best [player in the world], but then he changed, we are still in contact and we often talk.”
Arnautovic had earned comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the beginning of his career.
“It was impossible, it made me happy at the beginning, but Ibra is Ibra and I am not at his level. Hat off in front of his career. To me, he is a friend, a brother, because his life was not easy at the beginning.”