Manchester United have had their eyes on Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian midfield mainstay Fred for quite some time now.
Manchester United have been told to shell out €60 million if they want to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred in the summer, as per a report from the Manchester Evening News.
The 25-year old Brazilian international has been on Manchester United’s radar for a while now, with the Red Devils’ manager seeking reinforcements in the midfield department ahead of the next season.
The 20-time English champions will be short on numbers in the centre of the park, following the retirement of veteran midfielder Michael Carrick, who made his last Premier League appearance this past weekend, in the 1-0 win over Watford FC at the Old Trafford.
Question marks exist over the future of Belgian international Marouane Fellaini as well, with the former Everton man set to run out of contract in a matter of days and having already rejected offers of a new deal from the club previously. And club record signing Paul Pogba too has been a subject of intense transfer speculation, despite the manager claiming that he sees the midfielder staying put at the Old Trafford next season.
As a result, Mourinho has prioritized signing a new central midfielder in the summer and has identified Fred as a viable target. The 25-year old has enjoyed a fine 2017/18 campaign, finishing with four goals and seven assists in 37 appearances across all competitions, helping himself to his third Ukrainian Premier League title with Shakhtar along with a cup triumph.
An all-action midfielder, the seven-time capped Brazil international has the quality to make a difference in both halves of the pitch with his solid defensive contributions and ability to start attacks with his pinpoint distribution. And these qualities of his would make him a shrewd addition to the Manchester United roster.
Fred had also been targeted by Manchester United’s neighbours and newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City, but they have turned their attention towards Napoli midfielder Jorginho. However, French champions Paris Saint-Germain remain interested in the midfielder, as they look to plug the hole left behind by Thiago Motta’s retirement.
Fred has a contract with the Ukrainian outfit that runs till the summer of 2023 and while the club are resigned to the fact that they will be losing him in the summer, they are unwilling to compromise on their asking price of €60 million which happens to be the release clause stipulated in his contract. Manchester United need to act soon if they are to beat PSG and land their target ahead of the next campaign.
