Brazil international Fabinho could be on the cusp of joining Manchester United this summer, a report from Corrieredello Sport suggests.


The Europa League leaders are prepared to spend an overall package of around £35m in order to lure the midfielder from the Principality outfit. Fabinho has been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the past 12 months, and Mourinho had initially sought him as a potential replacement for Antonio Valencia for the right-back spot.

However, the Special One appears to have set sights on signing Benfica’s Nelson Semedo for the right-back position, and this has probably left Fabinho in consideration for a central midfield role. Michael Carrick earned a fresh one-year deal with United last month, but it could well be his last in his professional career as Mourinho looks to ease him out of the starting lineup.
Fabinho was a key performer alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko at the heart of the Monaco midfield, and this propelled the club towards the summit, eventually ending their 17-year wait for the Ligue 1 title. The team appears to be quickly disintegrating this summer with Bernardo Silva already gone to Manchester City and Fabinho could be the next with United willing to pay an initial £30m for his signature.

The Brazilian’s father had previously cited that his son had a soft spot for rivals Manchester City, but Fabinho refused to rule out a potential move to Old Trafford by citing that United are a great club, he said, via Globoesporte: “It’s a tempting invitation. I would first talk to my agent, Monaco too, to decide everything right. But it’s a great club, sure enough I would think well about it.”

While Fabinho has excelled in the central midfield position of late, Mourinho could still feature him on the right side of the backline, should a deal for Semedo fall through between now and the end of the summer transfer window.