According to the BBC, Fulham have agreed a £10m deal with Manchester United to sign Crystal Palace target Andreas Pereira.
What’s the story?
Well, it was said that Patrick Vieira wanted the Brazilian at Selhurst Park, with the midfielder’s representatives encouraged by Crystal Palace’s initial enquiry.
However, it seems Fulham have pulled ahead of their London rivals in the battle to sign the South American.
The BBC believe a £10m deal, including add-ons, has been agreed between the Cottagers and the Red Devils, with Pereira now set to undergo a medical in west London.
His move to Craven Cottage comes after a season on loan with Flamengo last term, who held an option to buy the 26-year-old, but decided against it.
Pereira scored three goals, while also providing two assists, in 29 appearances for the Brazilian giants last term.
In total, across his 11 years at Manchester United, he scored four goals in 75 appearances, while also registering five assists.
Crystal Palace may have pushed Fulham into a deal
In our view, Crystal Palace did not view Pereira as a key target, and their supposed interest in him pushed Marco Silva to complete a deal.
Why do we think that? Well, Pereira obviously isn’t being viewed as a primary target for the Eagles, as they have decided to pursue two other midfielders in Cheick Doucoure and Flynn Downes.
In our view, Pereira was potentially shortlisted as a backup option in case these deals fell through.
However, an announcement for Doucoure is set to commence once he receives a work permit, whereas Downes is expected to move to SE25 with Joe Allen returning to Swansea as his replacement, according to the BBC.
Therefore, we believe Fulham acted quickly, just to avoid the risk of Crystal Palace getting involved if their other deals collapsed.
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