Paolo Maldini thinks Man Utd are ready to splash £30m on a 'very exciting player'

Manchester United are targeting Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, who Paolo Maldini rates as a very “exciting player”. The Red Devils were busy over the summer, spending £180million on five new arrivals.

Three of those – Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazaroui – are defenders, but it looks as if United aren’t finished bolstering their backline. Robinson, 27, is a left-back, which has been a problem position for Erik ten Hag’s team in recent years.

Luke Shaw managed just 12 Premier League appearances last season due to injury, while his understudy, Tyrell Malacia, didn’t kick a ball for the same reason. Last month, the club were linked with a move for Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, but nothing materialised.

According to reports, United are planning an approach for Robinson when the transfer window reopens in January. It’s understood Fulham want to keep the American international, but will let him leave if a bid of around £30m is lodged.

Last year, Robinson was linked with a move to Manchester City, though it isn’t just top English clubs who have taken an interest in him. Back in 2020, the defender came to within a hairsbreadth of joining AC Milan, only for a complication during his medical to scupper things.

Speaking to The Guardian, Robinson, who was playing for Championship club Wigan at the time, said he didn’t believe it when his agent told him Milan wanted to sign him. But when he received a phone call from the Serie A club’s then-technical director, and one of the greatest defenders of all time, Paolo Maldini, scepticism was quickly replaced by gobsmacked adulation.

“I played away at Swansea and the next day I got a call saying: ‘You’re flying to Milan tomorrow to do your deal’,” Robinson recalled. “I then had Maldini on the phone and he was talking me through it.

“The fact it was Maldini, and he was trying to bring me into the club, was a big compliment. He had seen enough of me to say he was excited to work with me and he really believed that I could develop into a good player.”

Unfortunately, the move was scuttled after a potentially heart issue was flagged during Robinson’s medical. It would take around three days to confirm whether the problem was serious, but as it was deadline day, Milan couldn’t take the risk and cancelled the deal.

It was a crushing blow, but a few months later Robinson sealed a £2m move to Fulham. He’s been a mainstay in the west London club’s side ever since, racking up 154 appearances in just over four years.

Robinson has also established himself as a regular in the US national team, who are expected to appoint former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach. He was born and raised in the UK, but qualified for the US through his father, who was brought up in New York.

In total, he’s earned 46 caps is expected to play a big part in the team’s run to the 2026 World Cup, which is being staged in the USA as well as in Canada and Mexico.