Manchester United are reportedly “willing to go all out” to beat Real Madrid in the race to sign Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian, who is nicknamed “Messinho” in his home country.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Manchester United are looking to sabotage Real Madrid’s plan to sign Palmeiras’ sensational Brazilian attacker, Estevao Willian.
Why are Manchester United chasing Estevao Willian?
The 16-year-old forward, who is club team-mates with Real-bound Endrick, has become one of the most highly sought-after prospects in world football after impressing at the Under-17 World Cup, where he scored two goals and provided three assists in five matches for Brazil.
The winger made his senior debut for Palmeiras last season, coming off the bench to play a 12-minute cameo in the club’s final game of the Brazilian Serie A campaign.
In total, he has made five senior appearances so far for the reigning Brazilian champions, but his performances at youth level have earned him lots of plaudits.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to make Old Trafford the best place to nurture the best young prospects in the world, and the 16-year-old certainly fits into that category.
Man Utd have been criticised for spending big sums on lacklustre players since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from the club, and Ratcliffe has said that he would prefer to sign “the next Kylian Mbappe” rather than continue that trend.
Man Utd looking to hijack Real Madrid’s move for Estevao
Real Madrid are continuing to scour the transfer market for another superstar, Endrick, set to join them at the at the end of the season, and have found a new gem in Messinho.
They have been pursuing a deal for the rapid winger for some time and hope that he will replicate the success that fellow Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes have had at the Bernabeu, although the latter’s first-team spot is in danger with Kylian Mbappe’s imminent summer arrival.
However, fresh reports suggest that Manchester United will look to hijack Real Madrid’s move for the youngster.
It was previously claimed that he would prefer a move to Spain over a move to England, but the above report adds that the Red Devils are willing to go to great lengths and offer even more than the reported €60 million release clause demands to seal his signing.
United don’t want to go into a bidding war with Los Blancos and are opting to grossly overpay with a reported bid in the region of €90 million being lined up, considering it a reasonable return on investment for the 16-year-old, who would replace big-money flop Antony in the long run.
Neither Real Madrid nor any other team in the world would be ready to pay that kind of money, making the Red Devils clear front-runners.
