Luiz Rocha, the agent of talented Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva, has confirmed Manchester United have made contact over a potential transfer.
Red Devils chief executive Ed Woodward recently suggested there is a "low probability" the club will sign reinforcements in January, as reported by Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, but comments from Rocha suggest interest in Silva could take United's fancy.
"There aren't many details," said Rocha, per Jamie Sanderson of the Metro. "I confirm I was contacted by people linked to Manchester United. There are no official bids. We are waiting."
Meanwhile, Alvaro de la Rosa of AS believes "contact has been established" with Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have allegedly been told €15 million would secure Silva's services. This roughly equates to the £12 million offer Sanderson suggests United could make, with Chelsea reportedly quoted the same "shockingly low" price, per Jamie Anderson of the Daily Express.
Former Corinthians manager Tite recently revealed that Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti has spoken to him about Silva.
"Ancelotti told me he could sign him and asked if he could play alongside (Luka) Modric or (Toni) Kroos because he said, 'My president will not sign defenders,'" Tite told SportTV Brazil (h/t Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express).
Ancelotti is said to have previously asked old associate Serginho about Silva's talents. Carlos Carpio of Marca reports that the Italian boss called AC Milan's head of South American scouting to "pick his brain" about the 21-year-old, whose qualities are highlighted below:
Silva is a midfield busybody and keeps possession moving with accurate passes. He has completed 88 percent of his passes across 25 Brasileirao appearances this season, according to WhoScored.com, making 2.1 tackles and 1.2 interceptions on average per match.
Silva isn't the physical presence United crave just yet, but his calmness in possession and technical ability could significantly improve the side's centre. Chris Atkins of ESPN FC highlights how Silva is "normally positioned alongside a more destructive midfield presence," suggesting Louis van Gaal could also target another signing to supplement his potential arrival.
United continue to be linked with a move for Juventus' Arturo Vidal, as reported by David Wright of the Express, but the Chilean midfielder is yet to consistently impress after his recent knee injury.
Beppe Marotta, executive director in Turin, recently admitted as much.
"Vidal? He still isn't in great form, but he's better," he told Sky Sport (h/t Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia). "His knee is a bit inflamed, but we are monitoring him daily."
This will likely halt Van Gaal's interest, as former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli told El Mercurio it did during the summer (h/t the London Evening Standard).
Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho could offer an alternative source of midfield physicality, according to Anderson, who believes United will engineer a cash-plus-Nani deal for the Portuguese behemoth.
Carvalho is a natural powerhouse and exactly the type of battler who can complement the play of individuals such as Silva. Nani's valuation has only increased since he returned to Sporting on loan this season.
Should Manchester United offer Nani-plus-cash for William Carvalho?
Should Manchester United offer Nani-plus-cash for William Carvalho?
He has scored six goals and provided two assists across 14 matches across Liga Sagres and the Champions League, per WhoScored. As a result, United could significantly cut Carvalho's reported value of £24 million, per Anderson.
It is unlikely Nani will make it back into Van Gaal's plans at this stage, so such a deal would be extremely clever from the Premier League side. United are currently fourth and aiming to hold down their Champions League spot as the busy Christmas schedule arrives.
Van Gaal's squad needs plenty of resculpting before the club is regularly going to compete for silverware, but fans will certainly be excited to see potential links to players such as Silva and Carvalho.
These transfers appear viable—unlike the constant no-go of Vidal—and are likely to test United's reported unwillingness to spend in January.
Manchester United linked with £12m transfer for 'new Kaka'
The January transfer window must be close if the amount of transfer rumours involving Manchester United are anything to go by. Today the Red Devils are being linked with a swoop for Raphael Varane, while rumours persist of a move for both Fabio Coentrao and Pepe. Wesley Sneijder looks likely to be on the move next year and of course the Red Devils are being mentioned in connection to the Dutchman again.
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