Rennes defender Julien Escude has insisted he is determined to leave the club to join Manchester United.
The 23-year-old, who is rated in the £5million bracket, was disappointed to see talks between Rennes and United officials stall last weekend.
Rennes communication manager Jerome Poupard declared that the club still needed to think about the offer and would give their definite decision by August 25th.
But whatever the outcome, Escude already sees his future in England. "As soon as I got back to the club in June I told them about my intentions to leave," Escude told Le Parisientoday.
"I think I have had my time in Rennes. When I arrived I was only a little Ligue 2 player but since then I have progressed and I have learnt enough here.
"It is necessary to seize the opportunities when they come up and I hope my managers will understand that. They might want to keep me but I am determined to leave."
Escude believes it is the form he showed with Raymond Domenech's French side at the UEFA Under-21 Championships in May that attracted Sir Alex Ferguson's interest rather than his last season with Rennes.
"Manchester United and Alex Ferguson have coveted me for a while but it is thanks to the Under-21 European championships that things stepped up," Escude added.
"I met Ferguson once and since then the phone calls to my agent have increased. This is a great sign of recognition for my work."
PA