PSG target Man Utd midfielder Fred as transfer price set for Brazilian

Paris Saint-Germain are set to target Manchester United midfielder Fred as they look to bolster their squad in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The 29-year-old has found his game time limited at United this season following the arrivals of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, with Erik ten Hag often preferring those two as a double pivot. Fred has made 17 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils this term, scoring once, and featured as a substitute in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Burnley on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, the Red Devils triggered the one-year extension on Fred’s contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2024. Fred completed a big-money transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk to Old Trafford in 2018 and has been a mainstay in the side despite playing under five different managers, including Jose Mourinho and Ralf Rangnick.

According to The Sun, PSG are interested in a move for Fred as manager Christophe Galtier tries to bring in another all-action, hard-hitting midfielder to his ranks to make them more competitive in the Champions League. PSG signed Fabian Ruiz, Renato Sanches and Vitinha in the summer but feel they need to further strengthen in that position.

It is understood United will consider offers of no less than £30million for the former Shakhtar ace despite him having just 18 months left on his deal. The Red Devils signed Fred for a reported fee of around £47m four-and-a-half years ago and feel he is still worth a decent sum of money to try and recoup as much of what they spent on him as possible.

Fred could be convinced to make the switch to the Parc des Princes given the fact Brazil pair Neymar and Marquinhos play their club football at PSG and the midfielder is reportedly close to them both. He has made 174 appearances in a United shirt, but could be tempted to move away given his lack of game time.

Although he hasn’t necessarily been a first-team starter in the majority of United’s Premier League matches this season, Ten Hag has still been impressed with what he has seen from Fred. After his side’s win over Omonia Nicosia in October, the Dutchman heaped praise on a “frenetic” Fred for how he pressed and managed the game.

“You see Fred doing so well in training,” Ten Hag said. “When he is coming in, he always brings the quality. What we need definitely is counter-press today and he’s frenetic, so I think he’s a good choice today.”

Having come off the bench against Burnley in midweek, Fred will hope to start as United take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday.