Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brazil midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported £52m.
The 25-year-old, who has been selected for this summer’s World Cup, is set to become Old Trafford boss Jose Mourinho’s first signing of the summer.
United are also closing in on Porto’s 19-year-old defender Diogo Dalot.
Dalot has a release clause of £17.4m and is reported to be set for a United medical this week.
Who is Fred?
Fred is in Brazil’s World Cup squad and appeared as an 82nd-minute substitute for his country as they beat Croatia 2-0 in a friendly at Anfield on Sunday.
Brazil coach Tite had said he wanted his players’ domestic futures sorted before the tournament in Russia, which starts on 14 June.
Born in Belo Horizonte, Fred moved to Europe in 2013 from Brazilian club Internacional and enjoyed success during five years in Ukraine.
He helped Shakhtar to win three league titles, three Ukrainian Cups and four Ukrainian Super Cups.
Fred also helped Shakhtar reach the Champions League knockout stages in 2017-18. He played in wins over Manchester City and Napoli, scoring in a 2-1 win over Roma in the last 16.
However, Fred’s career has not been without controversy.
In December 2015, he was given a one-year ban after testing positive for a banned diuretic, which was backdated to June that year when the test was carried out.
The suspension only applied to games sanctioned by South American football federation Conmebol.
‘A mini version of Fernandinho’ – analysis
South American football expert Tim Vickery
Manchester United are getting a fine player for their money. Pep Guardiola was very impressed when Fred played against Manchester City for Shakhtar in the Champions League in 2017-18.
You can see something of a mini version of [Manchester City midfielder] Fernandinho.
United are getting a little, stocky, left-footed midfielder who will bring real dynamism. Fred can work box to box, he has a lovely left foot, he’s improving very nicely and has picked up valuable European experience.
