Manchester United close in on €50m Fred but balk at Milinkovic-Savic fee

• United hope to finalise deal with Shakhtar Donetsk
• Lazio asking price for Milinkovic-Savic is €100m

Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Brazil midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for €50m (£43.7m) but an attempt to add Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to José Mourinho’s squad have been put on hold for now after Lazio set the 23-year-old’s asking price at €100m (£87.4m).

United are in advanced talks with the Ukrainian club and representatives of Fred, who had also interested Manchester City as a potential long-term replacement for Fernandinho, and hope to finalise a deal in the coming days. Predominantly a defensive midfielder who can also play at left-back, the 25-year-old signed a five-year contract in January and was included in Brazil’s squad for next month’s World Cup.

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