Jose Mourinho’s determination to strengthen the Manchester United backline has seen him turn his attention to AS Monaco right back, Fabinho, 22.
The Brazilian international received fulsome praise last season for his performances in Ligue Un. His agent Jorge Mendes shares a close relationship with Mourinho, smoothing the way for negotiations to begin between the clubs.
United see the €30m price tag as no obstacle as Mourinho’s spending shows no sign of stopping. With French international Paul Pogba, 23, set to join this week, capturing Fabinho would take this summer’s business close to £200m.
Some money is set to be recouped through sales with midfielder Juan Mata attracting the attention of La Liga club, Espanyol. United want close to €50m for the Spaniard.
Mourinho, despite the clean sheet in yesterday’s 2 – 0 win over Wigan in a pre-season friendly, is unimpressed by the defence he inherited from Louis Van Gaal. He has already landed Eric Bailly, 22, from Villarreal in a £30m deal and has been scouring the continent for a defensive partner for the Ivory Coast international.
Despite being capped by Brazil only four times, United don’t expect any problems obtaining a work permit for Fabinho due to the size of the fee.
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