Manchester United and rivals Man City have ‘moved behind the scenes’ to ‘line up a deal’ for Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Veron, who is dubbed the next Neymar after his breakthrough season with Palmeiras
- Gabriel Veron is the latest Brazilian sensation to get the world of football talking
- The teenager has been a revelation in his breathrough season with Palmeiras
- Reports claim Manchester United and City have already started making moves
- Barcelona are heavily linked but are currently crippled by financial difficulties
Manchester United and bitter rivals City are reportedly set to steal a march on Europe’s elite clubs by making their move for Gabriel Veron.
The teenager is the latest Brazilian sensation to get the world of football talking and is being touted as the new Neymar following a remarkable breakthrough season with Palmeiras.
Now Veron, 18, is attracting solid interest in each of Europe’s major leagues but it is Premier League giants United and City who have taken rapid steps and ‘moved behind the scenes’, according to Spanish publication Sport.
Manchester United and rivals City have reported made their moves for Gabriel Veron (right)
There is so much excitement about Veron that he is being dubbed the new Neymar (above)
The report outlines that it is actually Barcelona who ‘control the player’s situation,’ given his apparent childhood ambition to play at the Nou Camp.
Barca however currently find themselves in a dire financial situation, and look increasingly likely to be unable to dip into the transfer market for the foreseeable future.
Added to this, the situation becomes yet further complicated because the Catalan club are yet to elect their new president, meaning budget allocations and concrete transfer plans are yet to be determined.
The teen star is said to prefer a move to Barcelona but the Spanish giants are cash-strapped
The path therefore is reported to have been somewhat cleared for United and City to make their advances, with both clubs said to be aware of Barca’s ‘difficulty’ and are eager to capitalise.
Veron has eight goals and three assists in 33 games since breaking through into the Palmeiras senior ranks.
He has featured at each international age level for Brazil from the U16 to U20s set-up, and was the winner of the Golden Ball award at the U17 World Cup held in his homeland, highlighting him as the tournament’s best player.
Veron is contracted to Palmeiras until 2025 and has a £53million (€60m) release clause written into his current contract.
Despite this pricey fee however, it is reported that Palmeiras see his current market value at around £20m and would be open to negotiations.
Veron won the Golden Ball at the FIFA U17 World Cup after being determined the best player
The teenager therefore is well within the price ranges of both United and City, despite the tightening of purse strings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
United recently showed their willingness to spend big money on talented youngsters, after wrapping up a deal to bring in winger Amad Diallo for an overall cost which could reach £37m.
This was despite him being just 18 years old and having made just five first-team appearances, amounting to a mere 59 minutes for Atalanta over the past 15 months.
