Manchester United are expected to formally announce the sale of Andreas Pereira to Flamengo before the end of the week – but two respected pundits in Brazil are questioning the size of the fee being splashed out.
The 26-year-old moved to Old Trafford as a teenager back in 2012 and subsequently rose through the ranks. Indeed, the Brazilian made his debut for United in August 2014 under then-manager Louis van Gaal.
Since then, though, Pereira has only made 74 more appearances for the Red Devils. Sixty-three of those came in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, when he formed a key part of the first team.
But either side of those spells, he has spent time on loan at Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo. Lazio tried to sign Pereira permanently last summer, but talks with United did not progress.
Thereafter, the midfielder moved to Flamengo on a season-long loan last summer. The Brazilian club have since been trying to sign the midfielder permanently in recent months.
And finally, after weeks of talks, it emerged on Wednesday that Flamengo had struck a deal to sign Pereira permanently. As such, the Brazilian side are paying United a £8.85m fee for the player, with the Red Devils claiming 25% of any future deal.
That remains some distance lower than the original €20m (£16.8m) option Flamengo had on the midfielder.
Nonetheless, the deal is still the fourth most costly in their club’s entire history.
As such, two well regarded Brazilian pundits are suggesting the deal is for ‘a lot of money’.
“Andreas is a very good player, he has a future ahead of him,” Zinho told Diario do Fla via Sport Witness. “He’s still moving and adapting to Brazilian football. I think it’s a lot of money! And for 75% of the pass, it’s not even the whole pass.
“Now I don’t discuss the technical quality of the player. He though can still evolve and become a great player and Flamengo can profit even more from a sale of the athlete.”
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Second pundit questions Andreas Pereira fee
That viewpoint also drew a similar response from fellow pundit Osvaldo Pascoal.
He thinks Flamengo are paying too high for the player compared to other examples.
However, he believes Flamengo’s investment could pay off in time and that a future return to Europe could be on the cards.
“I think a lot of money for a defensive midfielder,” he said. “The amounts paid for Pedro and Gabi I think are valid. I confess it’s a lot of money.
“I think he only returns to Europe if he becomes a phenomenon. Gerson left and returned to Europe, only he is younger, to profit from Andreas I find it very difficult, the amount scares me a lot.”
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