According to Nordsjaelland defender Bartolec, Southampton wanted him if Cedric Soares joined Manchester United.
Karlo Bartolec is hardly a household name in England. But it seems Southampton are well aware of the highly-rated Nordsjaellland defender.
The 23-year-old is a Croatia U21 international who has impressed in Danish football since he arrived from Lokomotiva Zagreb in 2016. And, speaking to Sata 24, Bartolec has seemingly offered a glimpse behind the curtain into Southampton’s summer transfer strategy.
The youngster claims he Saints had identified him as a replacement for Cedric Soares, who was allegedly a target for Manchester United.
“I could have gone to Southampton. I was hoping Soares would go to Manchester United but that failed so I missed my move to the Premier League,” Bartolec said.
“They were looking for £22 million for (Cedric) and I might have become his replacement.”
Manchester United had lacked a natural right-back for a number of seasons with Antonio Valencia filling in. And Cedric could have fit the bill, having impressed with his one-on-one defending and swashbuckling attacking play since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2015.
United did eventually splash out £19 million on Porto starlet Diego Dalot. But it is unknown, however, whether the Old Trafford giants only turned to Dalot after missing out on Cedric.
As it stands, the Portugal international has a contract at St Mary’s until 2020 and it remains to be seen whether or not United will return for him in 2019. If they do, Bartolec will be waiting in the wings.
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