Corinthians are asking for ‘at least’ £34 million for teenage midfielder Gabriel Moscardo with Manchester United on a number of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on the situation.
Augusto Melo, Corinthians’ new president, is wasting no time in setting his stall out as one of Brazil’s best up-and-coming talents continues to bounce around the gossip columns.
Chelsea tried and failed to lure Gabriel Moscardo to Stamford Bridge over the summer. There is now interest from Arsenal, Atletico Madrid Barcelona and, according to ESPN, Manchester United too.
The Red Devils have lodged an enquiry about Moscardo’s availability. But after rejecting Chelsea’s £17 million offer a couple of months ago, it would now take an bid of over double that amount to convince Corinthians to cash in.
Manchester United like Gabriel Moscardo
“I’m not a salesman. Our player, trained at home, will be our third biggest sale, at least,” Melo, who replaces Duilio Monteiro Alves in the big chair, tells Radio Bandeirantes.
“He’s an 18-year-old boy, he’s in developing, and he’s gaining strength now. He will mature further so that we can sell him for three or four times more than he is worth (now). We have to sell well.
“I will never sell for what (Chelsea) offered. (Moscardo’s price-tag will be) more than 40 million euros ,at least.”
Moscardo, a deep-lying, tempo-setting, string-puller of a midfielder who could form part of Manchester United’s Casemiro succession plan, is one of a number of exciting young South Americans under consideration at Old Trafford.
Casemiro’s long-term replacement?
United are also keen on Santos striker Marcos Leonardo, prolific for Brazil at youth level, and Argentina’s latest rising star Agustin Ruberto.
Ruberto, who has a £17 million release clause in his River Plate contract, was the Golden Boot winner at the recent Under 17 World Cup and models his game on that of Robert Lewandowski.
Keep an eye on Oscar Zambrano too, a Moises Caicedo-esque ball-winner making quite the name for himself in Ecuador.
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