Man Utd now 'willing to pay' £26m to sign 26-year-old Brazilian star - report

Manchester United could pursue a new midfielder during the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils lacked control in the centre of the park last term, and the hierarchy may want a fresh solution ahead of next season.

Turkish outlet Aksam today claim that United are one of the admirers of Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara.

The Red Devils are ‘willing to pay’ £26 million for the versatile midfielder, who is keen on playing in the Premier League next term.

Galatasaray are unlikely to accept the planned transfer offer, and want at least £30.3m to sanction the 26-year-old’s departure.

Sara speculation could be agent-driven

The 26-year-old joined Galatasaray from Norwich City for £15.6m last summer, and had a good debut season with the Turkish giants.

Sara predominantly played as a central midfielder. He provided two goals and 10 assists from 45 appearances in all competitions.

Despite his goal contributions, he was unconvincing with his distribution during the Super Lig campaign.

The Brazilian had a passing accuracy of 83 percent and lost possession almost 14 times per outing.

Sara won only 42 percent of his ground duels and was dribbled past on several occasions.

In our view, he would not be an upgrade on the existing midfield options at Old Trafford. At his age, he is unlikely to make a big improvement.

The former Canaries star can bring a creative presence, but could be exposed defensively due to his tendency to lose regular possession.

In our opinion, the speculation is probably agent-driven. United’s name is being used to generate interest from other Premier League clubs.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .