Man United set to miss out on £15 million Brazilian whizkid to European giant

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Manchester United have suffered a blow in the race for the exciting Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo, according to reports.

Erik ten Hag looks set to dip into the January market but loans may well have to be the order of business for Manchester United with money very tight at this moment in time.

As a result of this, the targets the club may have that will cost a substantial amount of money may well slip through their fingers in the winter window if other European sides enter the race.

One of these players who they look set to miss out on is Santos forward Marcos Leonardo as it has emerged he is closing in on joining another European side.

United set to miss out

According to a post on X from Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, SL Benfica are closing in on a deal to sign the highly-rated Brazilian forward.

The Portuguese giants reportedly submitted a bid for the Brazilian forward in the last few hours and it is looking likely that this offer will get the deal over the line.

What may well hurt United the most is just how cheap the Portuguese side are getting the Santos forward for with Romano claiming that the deal will be agreed for around £15 million with just the structure of the add-ons that remains.

Benfica have a history of developing some superb talent around the world before selling them for a ludicrous profit. Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is a big example of this.

The Portuguese side signed him for just £10 million from River Plate and sold him for nearly £107 million, according to The Guardian, the model is a flawless one for the Portuguese side.

United’s alternative targets

Leonardo was tentatively linked with United in recent weeks but there were never any concrete negotiations ongoing, part of the reported reason behind this is there is no money to spend.

The Athletic reported that money is incredibly tight at Old Trafford as they try and keep within the financial fair play constraints so as a result, loans are being looked at.

Timo Werner and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting are a couple of the names looked at for a loan with Thomas Muller and Serhou Guirassy looked at by the Red Devils if they can make a sale.