Former Barcelona and AC Milan player reveals regret at turning down Manchester United transfer

Former Barcelona midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed he turned down the opportunity to join Manchester United back in 2013.

The former Ghana international, who recently announced his retirement at the age of 36, had the chance to join United from AC Milan. He joined Milan on loan in 2010 immediately after joining fellow Italian club Genoa from Portsmouth.

The move later became a co-ownership deal and Boateng joined Milan permanently in June 2011 on a four-year contract. Boateng made 114 appearances for the club, scoring 18 goals and grabbing 16 assists.

Just over two years after joining the Italian outfit on a permanent deal, however, Boateng sealed a move to German side FC Schalke, signing a four-year contract. He spent just over two years at the Bundesliga club, having his contract terminated in December 2015.

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Boateng has now revealed that he had the opportunity to join United from Milan but decided to move to Germany instead. He has described it as one of the biggest regrets of his career.

"I have two regrets," Boateng told Ghana Soccer Net. "The first is leaving Hertha [Berlin] too early.

"The second is making the switch from Milan to Schalke at that time. I had the opportunity to switch to Manchester United. I chose Germany – you saw what happened to me at Schalke."

Boateng, who played for a total of 14 different clubs during his career, including a short-term loan spell at Barcelona in 2019, made a total of 51 appearances during his time in England for Portsmouth and Tottenham, scoring five