Manchester United are prepared to make a renewed transfer offer for Porto striker Evanilson, Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias (today’s edition, page 32) claims.
The Red Devils were heavily linked with Darwin Nunez at the beginning of June, but the Uruguayan snubbed their interest to join arch-rivals Liverpool.
It appears they have now turned their attention towards Evanilson, who bagged 21 goals and five assists for Porto during the recently-concluded season.
According to Jornal de Noticias, their opening bid of £52 million plus £4m in add-ons was rejected by Porto, but they are ready to make a fresh offer of £60m plus add-ons.
United are optimistic about their chances of signing him as the proposal would be close to the £69m price tag set by Porto at the start of the summer.
Super-agent Jorge Mendes is acting as the intermediary. The Portuguese has already finalised moves for Porto duo Fabio Vieira and Vitinha, who are set to join Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
Our view:
Evanilson had a superb second season at Porto with 26 goal contributions. The Brazil international also impressed with his strong hold-up play and mobility in the final third.
Despite this, he may not be considered in the same category as Nunez. Both players were impressive in the Primeira Liga last term, but Nunez also stood out in the Champions League with regular goals.
Evanilson has yet to make a similar impact in Europe which may lead to questions whether he can adapt to the added intensity of the Premier League. Manchester United could still go on to pursue his signature this summer.
New United manager Erik ten Hag has built his reputation on improving players. At Ajax, the likes of Dusan Tadic and Sebastien Haller made drastic improvements after unsuccessful Premier League stints.
The Dutch tactician also groomed several young graduates into top-class performers. United may have the belief that the 52-year-old can get the best out of Evanilson during the prime of his career.
Evanilson was guilty of squandering as many as 16 big chances last term. If Ten Hag can improve on the Brazilian’s finishing, he could turn out to be a superb recruit for the Red Devils.
