Manchester United are reportedly leading the race for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred.
According to the Daily Star, Manchester United now lead Manchester City in the race for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred – though Tottenham Hotspur have also been watching him.
Fred, 25, emerged in his native Brazil with Internacional before heading to Shakhtar in 2013, where he has excelled ever since with almost 150 appearances to his name.
The midfielder, who also has six caps for Brazil to his name, has attracted major interest off the back of his displays in Ukraine, with Manchester City strongly touted as a destination in January.
However, it’s now believed that Manchester United are leapfrogging City in the race for Fred’s signature, and are now ‘determined’ to land him this summer.
Tottenham lurking?
Many believe Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for a midfielder to rival – and ultimately replace – Mousa Dembele, and it’s claimed that they have an interest in Fred.
Fred fits the bill as a left-footed, box-to-box midfielder with skill on the ball, though he doesn’t quite have the same strength and power as Dembele does when driving through midfield.
The report states that a £40million fee would be needed to land Fred, but whether Tottenham would be willing to splash that kind of cash on the Brazilian remains to be seen.
Daniel Levy may not release huge funds for new signings this summer as the club move into their new stadium, and that may just leave United as the favourites to clinch one of Jose Mourinho’s top targets.
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