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Manchester United may have to concede defeat in their battle to prise Lucas Moura away from Sao Paulo, amid reports in Brazil that they have failed with a £30million bid for the 19-year old attacking midfielder.
With Lucas entitled to 20 per cent of any fee, under the terms of his contract, and Sao Paulo indicating they wanted to clear at least £23.5m in any deal for their prize asset, United were convinced their latest offer would be enough to break the deadlock.
Sir Alex Ferguson sees the addition of one of Brazil’s outstanding prospects as essential for wresting the Barclays Premier League title back from neighbours Manchester City, and he dispatched chief scout Jim Lawlor to Sao Paulo with instructions to make sure a deal was concluded.
But the mission may not be accomplished, after Brazilian media outlet Globo esporte reported that an improved bid of 38million euros (around £30million) had been rejected by Sao Paulo president Juvenal Juvencio.
As he prepared to meet Lawlor towards the end of last week, Juvencio spelled out the task facing the United delegate by saying: ‘It is a gamble not selling Lucas, but one we are prepared to take.
'When I sat down with Inter Milan’s sporting director Marco Branca recently, I told him not to bother talking about figures. We are not interested in that.’
As revealed in Sportsmail, Lawlor’s task will not get any easier, after it emerged that Lucas’ cut of any fee will increase to 30 per cent from August 1.
With Sao Paulo clearly demanding in excess of £25million for themselves, the overall asking price is about to start soaring towards a prohibitive £40million.
It is common practice in Brazil for clubs to award top players a percentage of any future transfer fee, instead of a signing-on payment, and the imminent increase in Lucas' entitlement has piled the pressure on United to try and find the necessary funds before the month is out.
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General Motors and Manchester United today announced that the world's most popular football club's shirt sponsor will be Chevrolet, beginning with the 2014/2015 season.
Chevrolet, the current Official Car Partner of the Club, will become only the fifth shirt sponsor in the Club’s 134 year history.
Announcing the deal, signed for an undisclosed amount, United’s Commercial Director, Richard Arnold, said:
“This is a fantastic, long-term deal for the Club. We have been partners with Chevrolet for only six weeks, but already they have produced some fantastic ideas that will benefit both the partnership and our 659 million followers around the world. They are a key partner on our current tour and I know they have enjoyed experiencing the buzz generated by our fanatical support and the sell-out crowds in South Africa, China, and Europe.
"It is a great thrill for those of us who work with partners all year round when an existing partner steps up to being one of our principal partners. This commitment to United and its fans will bring real benefits to everyone who cares about the Club.”
The US-based car company will replace Aon, whose partnership with United began in the 2010/11 season.
Alan Batey, General Motors’ North America Vice President, U.S. Sales and Service said:
“We are extremely proud to connect our brand, Chevrolet, with Manchester United and its passionate supporters all around the world. Manchester United’s statistics are impressive, but this relationship goes far beyond the numbers – this relationship is about connecting our brand with the deep-seated emotion that surrounds the team everywhere it goes.
ESPN understands Manchester United are to set clinch the £30 million signing of Brazil's Lucas Moura.
Moura, 19, has been strongly linked with a move to United and their rivals Manchester City, while Inter Milan have recently been suggested as an interested party.
This week, Sao Paulo moved to play down speculation that the winger was poised to join City, and also rejected claims that an offer had been received from Inter.
United are now the favourites to sign Moura, who, it is understood, will receive 30% of the transfer fee. A source told ESPN: "Sir Alex is keen to push through the signing of the young winger and United will have to pay £30 million to get him."
Lucas is currently representing Brazil at the 2012 Olympics, with the forward coming on in the second half of his side's 3-2 quarter-final win over Honduras.
United also remain in the hunt for Arsenal's Robin van Persie, although it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will meet the Gunners' asking price of offers in excess of £20 million.
Manchester United have agreed a £30million deal for Brazil's Lucas Moura - and Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping to take his spending to close on £50m by finally ending the Robin van Persie transfer saga this week.
Lucas Moura will have a medical in Manchester today after travelling down last night from Newcastle for Brazil's Olympic Games quarter-final against Honduras at St James' Park, where he started on the bench.
Ferguson stayed behind to finalise the Moura business when the team left for Norway yesterday for the match against Valerenga.
Van the man: Robin Van Persie is close to moving to Manchester United
Van the man: Robin Van Persie is close to moving to Manchester United
He will also be on hand to press ahead with Van Persie's move.
Ferguson is optimistic that any further hitches will be overcome for the Holland striker to become a United player before the season's curtain-raiser in a fortnight.
The Arsenal striker, the current Footballer of the Year, has been courted by Manchester City and Inter Milan and his inclusion in the squad's pre-season preparation in Germany has increased speculation that he may even sign a new contract at the Emirates.
Twinkle toes: Lucas Moura will move to Old Trafford
Twinkle toes: Lucas Moura will move to Old Trafford
But he has not concealed his desire to move to Old Trafford and that is the ace up Ferguson's sleeve.
The United boss will have to compromise on his refusal to comply with the Gunners' £25m demand, with the final figure likely to be about the £20m mark.
United's long-awaited transfer move nails suggestions, denied by Ferguson in an interview in The Mail On Sunday two weeks ago, that his spending budget had been restricted because of the club's massive debts incurred by the Glazer family's takeover.
But there remains a schism between a large faction of United supporters and the American owners, heightened by their bid to pay down some of their £420m debt by raising money on the New York Stock Exchange.
However, Ferguson remains committed to the club in spite of issuing a passionate response last week to speculation that he stood to profit from the Initial Public Offering to sell off 10.2 per cent of the club.
Already Andy Green, a financial analyst and one of the leaders of the anti-Glazer contingent, has been forced to apologise to the 70-year-old Scot after suggesting in his blog that Ferguson's support for the Glazers was based on financial gain.
He said: 'As one of the people suggesting he was likely to participate in the $288m "2012 Equity Incentive Reward Plan" the club are putting in place, I'd like to apologise to Sir Alex for suggesting that personal gain was a motivation in his support for the owners.'
Meanwhile, United will be featuring a number of first-team regulars against Valerenga, with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra and possibly Nemanja Vidic returning for their first pre-season action.
All smiles: Alex Ferguson looks on during Macnhester United's friendly against Shanghai Shenhua
All smiles: Alex Ferguson looks on during Macnhester United's friendly against Shanghai Shenhua
It will lift concerns, expressed by Ferguson on the recent tour of South Africa, that a number of players might not be tuned up for the Premier League kick-off because of their Euro 2012 exertions.
'It's definitely an awkward feeling,' he said. 'It's a different feeling because, although you might think you know what your best starting team is for Everton away in the first game of the season, it's not necessarily going to be that way.
'I'll probably play the ones who are the fittest ones, the ones who've had a proper pre-season. We've got plenty of options but to complete your team you're going to look at the ones who are going to come back in terms of fitness and what they're like.'
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