Manchester United are on the verge
of signing Barcelona midfield star Thiago Alcantara in a £17million deal.
The Premier League champions have
stolen a march on rivals Manchester City by agreeing personal terms of
£5m-a-year with Thiago, 22, and his father Mazinho.
They still have to finalise a deal
with Barcelona and sources say that it is unlikely there will be any
announcement on Friday, but discussions between the two clubs will continue
over the weekend.
Thiago is seen as one of the rising
stars of Spanish football and underlined his growing reputation by scoring a
hat-trick in his country’s triumph over Italy in the European Under-21
Championship Final earlier this week.
But he has grown increasingly
frustrated over his lack of opportunities at the Nou Camp despite assurances
from Barca that they see him as a future leader of their team.
He was first recommended to United
by the club’s chief scout Martin Ferguson three years ago, and new Old Trafford
boss David Moyes has also been a long-term admirer during his time at Everton.
But it was thought unlikely that he
could be prised away from Barcelona where he has come through the youth system
since the age of 14.
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