Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a £12m move in January for Sao Paulo’s Rodrigo Caio, with PSG and AC Milan also interested.

The Daily Star have claimed that Manchester United are interested in Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Rodrigo Caio, who is currently plying his trade for Sao Paulo in his home country. The Red Devils are weighing up a January move for the 23-year-old with reports of a £12m bid being lined up for the midfielder.

Rodrigo Caio Coquette Russo is a Sao Paulo academy product and has played only at his boyhood club so far. The 23-year-old has since established himself within the ranks of the iconic Brazilian giants and has in due course even made his senior international debut for the Samba Boys this year.

The versatile midfielder, who is equally adept at filling in at the back, was a part of his country’s triumphant Olympic squad and has put in solid displays for Sao Paulo in the current Brasileirao season. The player was reported to be close to moving to Valencia in the summer of 2015, with the move collapsing due to a couple of failed medical examinations.

The player has been on AC Milan’s radar for  a long time now and the Rossoneri were even linked with a move for the Brazilian in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Recent reports from the media have linked AC Milan to a January foray into the transfer market for the 23-year-old with Napoli also in the reckoning to sign the midfielder.

Looking to score a move to Europe? (Picture Courtesy - AFP/Getty Images)
Looking to score a move to Europe? (Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)

However, Manchester United have now reportedly entered the race for the 23-year-old who forged a solid partnership at the back alongside Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain as Brazil took the gold on home soil. Alongside Manchester United and AC Milan, Sevilla are also interested in the player while Paris Saint-Germain are also looking to add him to their roster in hopes to replicate the solid partnership viewers witnessed in the Rio Olympics between Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio.

However, the Daily Star have added that the Red Devils are looking to steal a march on the other suitors with talks expected to start between the clubs and the player’s representatives in the coming weeks. The player has an Italian passport and will have no problem in securing a work permit and it appears United are not too worried about Caio’s fitness either, despite the aforementioned medical failure.

Jose Mourinho has struggled to find the perfect holding midfielder to partner Paul Pogba at the centre of the park for United. Ander Herrera has been the player to feature the most in the position, but the Portuguese boss is likely to welcome the addition of a specialist to the squad who is more defensively minded compared to the options available to him in the current team.

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