Bologna forward Marko Arnautovic has revealed that Manchester United 'attempted to sign him several times' during the summer transfer window.
The 33-year-old make the move to Bologna from Shanghai Port in August 2021, and he enjoyed a successful first campaign for the club, scoring 15 times in 34 appearances, including 14 goals in Serie A.
Man United were heavily linked with the Austria international over the summer, but it is believed that they dropped their interest after learning the Italian club's asking price.
According to Arnautovic, the 20-time English champions tried to sign him "several times" during the last transfer window, but he was happy to remain with his Serie A side.
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"Manchester United tried to sign me several times," he told Laola1. "And it was a difficult decision to stay in Italy because my family wanted to return to England.
"For me it's clear that the Red Devils remain at the top of the universe. And Bologna, as a name, are not. But that's fine. Here everything is calm, you have time for yourself and no stress. This is only good for me."
Arnautovic has again been in impressive form for Bologna during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring eight times and registering one assist in 13 Serie A appearances.
The Austrian now has an impressive record of 23 goals in 49 matches for his current side, but his contract is due to expire next summer.
As it stands, Arnautovic would be free to hold talks with foreign clubs in January, but Bologna have the option of extending his deal for a further year until June 2025.
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Man United are allegedly preparing to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo's contract following the Portugal international's explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
Ronaldo's exit would leave the Red Devils short of options at centre-forward, although they are likely to wait until next summer to bring in a high-profile addition in the final third of the field.
Marcus Rashford has largely operated as Man United's centre-forward this term, with Anthony Martial struggling with a number of injury problems in the opening months of the campaign.
Arnautovic has scored once and provided one assist in his last two appearances for Austria, which were both friendlies against Andorra and Italy.
Das Team have not qualified for the finals of the World Cup, though, with their next competitive match set for March 24, as they begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign against Azerbaijan.
Matt Law
