Lazio begin negotiations with Man Utd for midfielder Pereira

James Holland
Pereira

Italian side Lazio have started negotiations with Man Utd for Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira, according to sources.

Pereira could be on his way out of Old Trafford after failing to become a first team regular under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 24-year-old is yet to feature for United this campaign and was left out of the squad which beat Brighton yesterday.


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According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Lazio have now contacted United officials about signing the player.

Romano says Lazio are considering Pereira as an attacking midfield ‘option’ and have just begun transfer talks.

Pereira could be available for a reduced price due to his lack of game time. The player featured 25 times in the Premier League last campaign, but some of these appearances were off the bench.

Pereira’s situation at United has been worsened by their recent transfers. The Red Devils signed Bruno Fernandes in January, and his form continues to keep Pereira out of the starting lineup.

Their only summer signing so far is fellow midfielder Donny van de Beek. The Dutchman signed from Ajax for a reported £35 million fee.

Those signings mean Pereira is further down the pecking order under Solskjaer. He could now see Lazio as his best option for regular first team football.

It’s not yet known how much Lazio would be willing to pay the Manchester club for Pereira, although he’s currently valued at £14.4 million by Transfermarkt.

Pereira has featured for PSV, Granada and Valencia during his career so far. He was widely tipped as a future United starter when he was younger, but that has failed to materialise.

Pereira currently has one international cap for Brazil and no goals.

Playing regularly in Serie A with Lazio could offer him the chance to get his international career back on track.

You can see all of this summer’s completed transfers on our dedicated page.