Real Madrid and Man Utd target Badiashile staying at Monaco, says coach Kovac

Rumoured Real Madrid and Manchester United target Benoit Badiashile will not be sold by Monaco this transfer window, according to the Ligue 1 club's head coach Niko Kovac.

The 19-year-old defender has already made 48 appearances for Monaco in all competitions and particularly caught the eye prior to the curtailment of the 2019-20 French domestic season.

Recent reports suggested Man Utd had made an opening bid of £22.28million (€25m) for the France youth international, which Monaco were quick to knock back.

Kovac has declared Badiashile, who has played a full part in Monaco's opening two Ligue 1 matches of the new season, is going nowhere for at least another year.

"Our aim is to take him to the next level," he told TF1. "If he plays a lot of matches with us in Ligue 1, which is a very good league, he will improve, that is certain. 

"We do not want to sell him that is very clear. He will stay here this season. I think that this is the best solution for him. He has his club here, his family. He knows the environment."

Badiashile made his debut for Monaco in November 2018 and signed a new deal last December that runs until 2024.

The younger brother of goalkeeper Loic Badiashile, also on Monaco's books, the defender has represented France at every level from Under-16 to 19, and featured 20 times for his club over the course of 2019-20, cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Monaco have begun the 2020-21 season in strong fashion, picking up a win and a draw in their opening two matches to occupy third place behind Nice and Bordeaux (defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are yet to play in the current campaign due to their commitments in the latter stages of the Champions League in August.)

The principality side will be keen to improve upon their ninth-placed finish in the curtailed 2019-20 season which left them out of European football, moving in the transfer market to sign Caio Henrique from Atletico Madrid and Leverkusen's Kevin Volland while stepping up their efforts to keep stars such as Badiashile.