Boss Sousa still keen for Flamengo to sign Pereira
FLAMENGO manager Paulo Sousa has once again requested the Brazilian club to sign United’s Andreas Pereira permanently this summer.
The midfielder has enjoyed an encouraging loan spell at the Rio de Janeiro-based club, but his mistake in the Copa Libertadores final defeat to fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras has altered his perception among the club’s supporters.
In February, United agreed an £8.5m transfer fee with Flamengo, where Pereira has been on loan since August. But it emerged in April United football director John Murtough had informed the player he could be included in Erik ten Hag’s squad next season.
Pereira, 26, netted a stunning strike for Flamengo in a 2-1 win over Fluminense on Sunday and after the match, manager Sousa made it clear he’d like the United loanee to stay, having already urged football director Bruno Spindel to complete a deal.
“Of all those that we have, I would like this continuity that I have already expressed,” Sousa said. “We’ve already spoken to Bruno, but it’s not just up to us, it’s up to the player and the club.
“In the game against Catolica, Andreas played an extraordinary game, and now he was decisive.”
United are still prepared to cash-in on Pereira for £8.5m and his playing prospects at his parent club are remote, despite the imminent departures of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani.
If Pereira were to return to United in August, he would have missed the entire pre-season schedule with the Premier League season starting on August 6.
Ten Hag was the assistant manager at PSV Eindhoven when Pereira agreed to join United in November 2011 at the age of 15. He officially joined United on his 16th birthday.