Manchester United closely following Brazilian midfielder; Barcelona, Man City and AC Milan also interested: Reports
Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Brazilian midfielder Luis Guilherme. The 17-year-old teenager has also attracted the attention of other European giants like Manchester City, Barcelona and AC Milan, as per Fichajes.net.
Guilherme currently plays for Palmeiras, where he has registered 15 appearances already. He made his debut in April, 2023 after signing for the senior team in the summer of 2022. The young midfielder has also represented Brazil in the U-16 and U-20 teams on four and five occasions, respectively.
Reports now claim that several European sides are tracking his progress and could snap him up in the near future as a potential star for the future. Standing at 5'9'', he is a pacey midfielder, and previously referred to Lionel Messi as his idol.
As per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Guilherme has a £52 million release clause in his contract. It will be interesting to see if United decide to activate that in the January market.
Is Luis Guilherme a good choice for Manchester United?
After an impressive outing under Erik ten Hag last season, United seem to have lost their way in the current campaign. Six defeats in 10 games have seen a lot of criticism aimed at the club, with some of the talking points being the balance and dynamics of the squad.
Particularly in midfield, United currently have Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay, Sofyan Amrabat, and Casemiro in their ranks as the senior players.
Mount is a new signing and at 24, has time to grow into the player United expect of him. However, the clock seems to be running down for two other stars at the club - Casemiro and Eriksen, who are both north of 30.
Bruno, despite being the most dangerous player in the club, will turn 30 next year. McTominay is on the fringes and is expected to depart sooner rather than later while Amrabat is likely to be a squad player at best.
This setup has basically put United at a spot, where despite spending hundreds of millions on players, there is no structure to a long-term basis in midfield. The scouting has to change in order for the club to sign players who can develop into good players and play out their prime years at Old Trafford.
In the football world, where young players are rapidly going under the hammer due to their potential, United need to get in on the act and think more long-term rather than keep plugging problems by the minute.
With that in mind, Guilherme could become the first of several players United might be keen to sign, as he guarantees potential and age - a combination currently lacking in numbers in their misfitting midfield.