Agreement reached: Club president confirmed Man United have reached agreement to sign their £40m superstar – agreement in place since last week and now is a done deal
Manchester United have already received a clear response from Palmeiras president Leila Pereira over Richard Rios.
Erik ten Hag’s side are looking to sign a new midfielder, having welcomed Joshua Zirkzee and defender Leny Yoro this summer. Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte is an option, though the French giants are demanding a hefty £59million.
Benfica star Joao Neves is also admired by United; however, he looks set to join PSG for less than his £101m release clause. This is where Rios comes in after catching the eye for his standout performances in the Copa America.
The 24-year-old played a significant part in their campaign to the final, where they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Argentina. Rios formed a great partnership with James Rodriguez throughout the tournament and shone in their 5-0 victory over Panama.
At Palmeiras, he is also a key player and is Abel Ferreira’s first choice in midfield. A report by Goal Brazil states that United have reached out to the player’s entourage over a potential deal.
It is said that the Reds are ‘readying’ a £17m offer for the Colombian. However, a source close to Goal has claimed that Palmeiras are not willing to entertain offers for Rios in this window, and as it stands, they ‘are yet to receive’ an official proposal for the player.
The Brazilian outfit are not keen to lose anymore players after recently sanctioning the exits of highly-rated academy products Endrick, Luis Guilherme and Estevao Willian. President Pereira has made her stance clear over transfers.
She said last month: “Last year we sold Endrick, we just sold Luis Guilherme and we are in advanced negotiations to sell Estevao. Some of these values are very significant for Palmeiras as most clubs need to sell to reinvest.
“We received offers for some of our players but I rejected because it would impact our performance on the pitch. The sporting performance comes first but I needed to sell, yes. It’s not Abel who is talking, it’s me and there will be no more sales this year.”
Meanwhile, the Verdao boss Abel added: “We have already made a lot of money with sales. We now need to focus on alternatives for the pitch.”
