Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Juventus and Atletico Madrid in the summer pursuit of highly-rated Sao Paulo defender Lyanco
Daily Mirror have reported that Manchester United are showing interest in highly-rated Sao Paulo defender Lyanco. The wonderkid has been linked with the likes of Juventus and Atletico Madrid, with the Bianconeri leading the race. But the Red Devils’ entry may complicate things for the Old Lady.
The report iterates that the player holds a Serbian passport, which would make it easier for the clubs to gain a work permit for him. This means that it could further aid the pursuit of the 20-year-old, with three top European clubs interested in the player.
As per the report, despite the Brazilian under-20 international being highly rated within the Sao Paulo setup and in his homeland, the club is ready to sell him for a fee around the £10 million mark in the summer, an amount none of Juve, Atletico and United will be worried about.
The president of @SaoPauloFC says he has received offers from both @juventusfc and @Atleti for Lyanco, the 20 year old centre back. pic.twitter.com/T3KUdrGxAi
— Messi Minutes (@MessiMinutes) February 15, 2017
Lyanco Evangelista Silveira Neves Vojnovic joined Sao Paulo on a free transfer after coming up through the ranks at Botafogo and has since grown into a highly-rated defender. The 20-year-old has managed 21 senior appearances for Sao Paulo in Brasileirao – the highest-tier Brazilian league, with a single goal to his name, and has been impressive at the back for the Brazilian side.
He was one of the stars for Brazil at the recently concluded South American Under-20 Championships, which has seen the arrival of interest from Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United.
Juventus have been long interested in Lyanco. The Bianconeri were reported to have a deal in place for the 20-year-old earlier, while Sao Paulo president recently confirmed that they were in negotiations with Juventus for Lyanco while confirming that Atletico Madrid and Juventus both have made offers for the youngster.
Now, Manchester United have joined the list. The Red Devils are looking for a partner to Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence for the new campaign and have been linked with the likes of Stefan De Vrij and Victor Lindelof among others.
The player is amazing in the air and has great long-range passing ability, along with having a technical sweet tooth, something which could be useful for Manchester United, who are already packed with strong aerial presence all across the board.
While the addition of Lyanco may not be exactly what they are looking for, the player’s potential means that he can step up to be a regular at Old Trafford in the near future, if not immediately.
Juventus have had a €5 million bid turned down by Sao Paulo and had a deadline-day approach shot down as well. But, with the new speculation of the club being ready to do business around the £10 million mark, Manchester United may be set to swoop in late, and steal the player from under the noses of Atletico and Juventus.
The fee looks justified, considering the player has around two years left on his current deal at Sao Paulo, with his contract set to expire in December, 2018. Sao Paulo have a glittering history of producing world-class talents that ultimately make their way to Europe and Lyanco could be set to become the latest Brazilian import.