France international defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has revealed that he is fully focused on Montpellier this season, despite turning down the chance to join Italian giants AC Milan during the summer transfer window, .
After championing the French Ligue 1 last term, Montpellier are currently in 16th place in the league table with a dismal 2-2-5 record.
Yanga-Mbiwa is drawing interest from a bevy of Europe s top football clubs, including the likes of AC Milan and Lille OSC, while FC Barcelona are also rumoured to be admirers of the Frenchman.
The 23-year-old s current contract expires at the end of the season, fueling speculation that Montpellier are preparing to offload him during the January transfer window.
I am not mad that I did not leave. I remained focused, had some difficult periods and even some doubts, but that is logical. We will see what will happen in the coming months.
I had just a few meetings with the Montpellier to see how we would manage it [about extending my contract].
I don t want to neglect the club where I was educated. We will try to work things out properly.
Yanga-Mbiwa has started 13 games for club and country this season, including Les Bleus 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Finland in September.
Milan keen on Drenthe
Serie A giants AC Milan are reportedly interested in the services of former Real Madrid midfielder Royston Drenthe, who remains without a club after his contract with Los Blancos ran out in June, according to the player s agent Antonio Salerno, .
Drenthe has spent the last two seasons on loan at Hercules (2010-11) and Everton (2011-12) after falling out-of-favour at star-studded Real Madrid.
The interest of Milan is real, Antonio Salerno told CalcioNews24. But the Rossoneri are not the only team interested in him.
Signing a free agent would be an excellent business for any team.
As Salerno suggests, signing Drenthe, 25, as a free agent would be a superb signing for any club. The Dutchman s resale value is extremely high, making him a very good prospective signing for any club in Europe.
Liverpool are one club who could definitely use Drenthe. In all honesty, the combined £30-40 million spent on 2011 signings Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing has not really yielded a positive result.
Although Downing did bag the winner in Thursday s UEFA Europa League clash against Anzhi Makhachkala at Anfield, he has failed to tally a goal or an assist in 39 English Premier League appearances over the past two seasons for the Reds.
Drenthe would give Liverpool another left-footed wide option, an option that most of the club s supporters would prefer to Downing, surely.
However, the fact that Drenthe spent last season on loan at Everton, the Reds bitter inner-city rivals, probably suggests that the former Real Madrid midfielder will not be returning to the city of Liverpool anytime soon.
