Sheffield United were linked with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Neal Maupay last summer.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder says his club wanted to sign Brighton and Hove Albion goal scorer Neal Maupay last summer, the Argus report.
The Blades and Brighton shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane.
Maupay grabbed Brighton’s equaliser, reacting quickest to Adam Webster’s knockdown from an Aaron Mooy freekick to cancel out Sheffield United’s opener.
Wilder claimed the Seagulls’ equaliser was difficult to prevent before admitting his club were keen on signing goal scorer Maupay last summer.
“He [Aaron Mooy] puts it into an area where you have got, I don’t know who it was – Dan Burn or Dunk or Duffy or Glenn Murray. You can’t coach against that but you can coach against the second ball,” Wilder said.
“We were a little bit disappointed Maupay got a run on us and, to be fair, he is somebody we obviously tried to get in the summer. I have a lot of admiration for him and have seen him play in the Championship as well. He will be delighted with his goal.”
Maupay joined Brighton from Brentford for a £20 million fee.
The 23-year-old has proven to be a quality operator at Premier League level, scoring eight goals and grabbing two assists in 21 top-flight starts.
The Frenchman’s form this season has reportedly attracted the interests from Napoli. The Telegraph claim the Italian giants are monitoring him in a possible £40 million move.
Brighton will hope Maupay can continue to fire them to safety this season. The draw leaves Graham Potter’s side four points above the drop zone but with only two wins in their last 15 league games.
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