"?Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Jose Fonte after Southampton insisted that the centre-back was not for sale, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Saints captain has been told that he will not be leaving during the summer transfer window.
The Portuguese European Championship winner was believed to have been keen on moving to Old Trafford and linking up with compatriot Jose Mourinho.
The latest on Man United target Jose Fonte's future, as Southampton dig their heels in https://t.co/lH1ZiQTGPI pic.twitter.com/Enf9wfEy21
However, reports now suggest that the defender will remain on the South coast for the time being. Fonte came up against his would-be suitors in the first of many Premier League matches that are due to take place on Friday evenings.
The former Benfica player, though, was on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic grabbing a brace for the hosts to maintain their 100% winning start to the 2016/17 season.
Despite stating his transfer business was done for the summer, United boss Jose Mourinho was thought to be eager to bring Fonte to Manchester.
The Portuguese manager has already signed Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba since taking charge of the Red Devils.
Mourinho, though, will not be allowed to add Fonte to his first-team squad after Southampton refused to entertain offers for their prized asset.
The centre-half has now been offered a new two-year contract by the Saints' board in the hope of retaining his services.
Fonte, 32, originally joined Southampton from Crystal Palace in January 2010 for a fee of around £1.2m and helped the Saints achieve promotion from both League One and the Championship, and has aided his current side in cementing their position in the Barclays Premier League.
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