From Sadio Mane to Erling Haaland and Benjamin Sesko, some of the world’s best forwards have gone through the Red Bull system. Now they have another, who Manchester United looked at but turned down. It is a mistake the Red Devils are counting the cost of.

Lassine Sinayoko is certainly not a household name, having spent his career until the summer playing for Auxerre, but the 26-year-old Mali international is the man fuelling the Ligue 1 title challenge of Paris FC, who are minority owned by Red Bull.

While Monza’s Gustavo Varela is earning a reputation as Europe’s breakout striker for the season, across in the French capital, Liam Rosenior’s No.9 is staking a strong claim to be another.

Across 10 appearances with Paris in Ligue 1 this season, he has scored nine goals and delivered another five assists. No player has more goal contributions in France, and across Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues, only Raphinha and Lamine Yamal eclipse the African’s impact.

Signed for just €8 million in the summer, he is well on course to pay back his transfer fee and then some.

Sinayoko’s career could have been so different, though.

Shock Man Utd links

Despite his low profile, he had been quietly linked with Manchester United in the summer of 2025 and then again during AFCON in December. Africa Foot even claimed there were “serious negotiations” over a contract.

He is currently sharing the spotlight in Paris with Pablo Pagis, who set up his goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Auxerre and has been named in Zinedine Zidane’s latest France squad, but high praise is arriving.

“Lassine has been exceptional since the start of the season,” former Chelsea manager Rosenior said.

“People remember his goals, but we’ve also worked a lot on his positioning. He’s absorbed what we wanted, and he deserves the credit. What I like most about him is his hard work; he’s so selfless in his pressing and the way he defends for the team. I hope he maintains this form because I really enjoy watching him play.”

He is not the sexiest name and certainly not the type of player that United typically buy, but they were working along the right lines when they were thinking outside the box and studying him as a potential signing target.

“The more talented players we play with, the easier it is to adapt,” he recently said, hinting that a move to a club like Man Utd would only inspire him further.

But that possibility is off the table for now. He is under contract at Paris FC until 2029, and his new club are insistent that they are not prepared to make a quick sale. And with Sinayoko firing them towards European football for the first time, who can blame them?