Anderson Talisca has completed a six-month loan move to Guangzhou Evergrande, snubbing interest from Manchester United in favour of a move to China.
Manchester United’s bid to sign Anderson Talisca as an attacking reinforcement in the summer transfer window has ended in defeat. The Premier League heavyweights have lost out to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergande, who have signed the Brazilian on a six-month loan deal from Benfica.
Talisca has already made quite a splash on a temporary move away from Benfica, having been a pivotal figure for Besiktas during a two-year loan deal that ended this summer. During his loan spell in Turkey, the Brazilian helped the Black Eagles win the Super Lig title once while also making an impact in Europe.
The 2017-18 season was the most productive yet for Talisca, as he bagged 20 goals and 8 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions, better than his return over two seasons at Benfica. Having showcased such remarkable progress at Besiktas, it was no wonder that the 24-year-old started attracting interest from some big clubs across Europe, including Manchester United.
The Red Devils have, in fact, been interested in signing Talisca for a while now, having been linked with him last summer as well. But, the continued interest from Manchester United could perhaps be the result of Marouane Fellaini facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford, with reports suggesting that the player is being eyed as a possible replacement.
Widespread reports had even suggested that Manchester United had an agreement in place with Benfica as well as the Brazilian international himself to complete a summer move. They were believed to be in the driver’s seat in pursuit of Talisca, despite the interest from Liverpool.
But, Manchester United have now had to concede defeat in pursuit of the 24-year-old, who has chosen to join Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande on a six-month loan deal instead, where Fabio Cannavaro will be hoping he can inspire the team to its eighth successive league title.
As far as Manchester United are concerned, there are no reports to suggest that Guangzhou have an option to make the move permanent, meaning they could again try to sign him in the winter window, if they choose to retain their interest in him. For now, they must set their sights elsewhere to bolster attack this summer.