Everton bid to sign Man Utd's Andreas Pereira
By Tom Gott
Everton are tracking Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira and have offered to take the Brazilian on loan for the upcoming season.
Pereira has just returned from an underwhelming year with Lazio, who declined to trigger their option to sign him permanently after watching him contribute just one goal and four assists in 33 appearances.
United are keen to offload Pereira permanently this summer but have found prospective buyers hard to come by, with most suitors only interested in another loan.
The latest update on Pereira comes from TNT Sports, who note that Everton have knocked on the door with the offer of a season-long loan which would also include an option to buy.
It's that willingness to humour a permanent deal which has Everton at the front of the queue for his signature. Brazilian side Flamengo have lodged a bid, but to United's frustration, are reluctant to commit to a future deal.
There is also interest from Turkish side Fenerbahce, who are yet to make any bid for Pereira, while 90min understands that both West Ham United and Crystal Palace have looked at the Brazilian this summer as well.
United's primary focus is finding somebody to buy Pereira right now. He still has two years left on his contract, meaning his value will slowly start to tumble from this point forward. But as of yet, no teams have been willing to discuss a permanent deal.
Their best offer has come in the form of Everton's option to buy, but club officials are hesitant to accept in the hope that a permanent bid will come in from somewhere.
As far as Pereira is concerned, he has already made it clear that regular game time is his primary focus for the coming season and he is prepared to look away from Old Trafford if needs be.
“In Manchester or elsewhere, the time has come to play, to have at least an hour per game on the field, to have the confidence to play," he said earlier this summer. "I want to be happy, to feel important.”