Flamengo 'verbally agree' fee for Andreas Pereira transfer

Flamengo are believed to have ‘verbally agreed’ a fee with Manchester United for the permanent signing of Andreas Pereira, who is on loan with the Brazilian club until the end of June.

Pereira hasn’t played for United since the 2019/20 campaign and spent last season on loan at Lazio, who decided against triggering a €27m buy option after the midfielder only started a handful of games. He then made the loan switch to Flamengo last summer.

The 26-year-old, who has born in Belgium and had never previously played club football in Brazil despite being capped internationally, has become a key player for the Rio de Janeiro side.

With Pereira only on loan for another few months and Flamengo seemingly keen to keep him, Brazilian outlet UOL has reported that senior club officials Marco Braz and Bruno Spindel have been in London to hold talks with United.

It appears those negotiations have been positive as it is said that a verbal agreement was reached for a deal worth the equivalent of €14m (£11.8m). The majority of that figure would be a guaranteed fee, with the rest consisting of add-ons relating to player and team achievements.

Pereira has been tipped to sign a long-term contract with Flamengo until 2026.

The player started his senior career with United after being poached from PSV Eindhoven’s youth ranks at the age of 16. By the time this anticipated transfer to Flamengo is complete, his association with the Old Trafford club will have spanned a full decade.

Pereira was handed a first-team debut at United by Louis van Gaal in 2014, featuring as a half-time substitute in an infamous 4-1 defeat to MK Dons in the EFL Cup. He remained on the fringes of the first-team until 2018 after returning from loans at Granada and Valencia.

Pereira eventually made as many as 40 appearances for United in 2019/20, but the mid-season arrival of Bruno Fernandes pushed him permanently out of contention.

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