United switch midfield focus
Manchester United are weighing up a move for ex-Nottingham Forest star Danilo. The news comes after United decided not to pursue a deal for Bournemouth's Alex Scott.
Bournemouth will demand at least £70million for Scott, who was the subject of a £64m bid from Chelsea which was rejected earlier this week. United value the England international at around £40m and will now look at alternative options in their search for a third new central midfielder.
BBC Sport report that the Red Devils have registered their interest in Danilo, who plays for Brazilian side Botafogo. It's added that Newcastle were interested in the 25-year-old earlier this summer.
Danilo made four appearances at the World Cup - all from the bench - as part of Carlo Ancelotti's squad. Botafogo have already received two offers in the region of £25m from Brazilian rivals Palmeiras and Russian heavyweights Zenit St Petersburg.
FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page Palmeiras, where Danilo made his name over three seasons, are currently pushing hardest to complete a deal. Botafogo would prefer sell him abroad, having paid £21.7m to sign him from Forest a year ago.
Danilo is one of several options for United, who've also enquired about Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The Red Devils have already recruited two midfielders this summer; Andrey Santos for £50m and Youri Tielemans for £35m.
In two-and-a-half years with Forest, Danilo made 62 appearances across all competitions. His third season at the City Ground was blighted by a serious ankle injury which took a toll on him.
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“It was really tough at first, but with time it got easier,” Danilo told FIFA's website before the World Cup.
“I started to understand things differently. I matured a lot.
“I became stronger and learned to think more positively every day. After that injury, I developed this mindset.”
Botafogo are having a middling season, sitting 10th in the Brazilian top flight with seven wins, four draws and seven defeats after 18 games. Danilo has been prolific in front of goal, though, scoring seven league goals as well as three in cup competitions.
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