Manchester United eye audacious move for Paris Saint-Germain ace

Manchester United are close to signing Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred and Jose Mourinho will then target Paris Saint-Germain ace Marco Verratti, claims The Sun.

Mourinho has made replenishing United’s midfield his main priority this summer with Marouane Fellaini set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

United are on the brink of signing Fred as Michael Carrick’s replacement and now Verratti has emerged as a top transfer target for Mourinho, albeit a significantly harder transfer to pull off.

Verratti is widely regarded as one of the best technicians in Europe but his stock has diminished since the end of last season after coming in for criticism for his performances and development.

The Italy international was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona last summer but Ernesto Valverde’s side have since cooled their interest.

United believe they have been given slight encouragement over his availability this summer and hope to pull off a stunning £75m deal for the 25-year-old.

Only Jorginho (96.9) averaged more passes per game than Verratti (92.7) in Europe’s top five leagues last season.