Football agent agent Wagner Ribeiro has revealed why Brazilian forward Lucas Moura's proposed move to Manchester United fell through in 2012.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side were keen to add to their attack in the summer transfer window and identified the Sao Paulo winger Lucas as an option after his impressive performances for Brazil at the London 2012 Olympics.
United had even agreed a provisional fee with Sao Paulo over his transfer, but saw a move fall through when French side Paris Saint-Germain got wind of the impending move.
Lucas has previously spoken about the failed transfer himself, but now agent Ribeiro has lifted the lid on just how close the forward came to Old Trafford.
"Everything was fine with Manchester United. The Brazilian was going to play in Manchester," the agent told UOL.
“But Leonardo entered the situation. He called me and said he was putting together a timaço (a great team), with Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Ibrahimovic.
“He asked how much United would pay (for Lucas). I said it would be €36 million (£31 million). He said he would pay €45 million (£39 million).
“And how was the rest of the negotiation? I told Lucas that Paris was a beautiful city to live in. He asked to speak to his father. We got everything right and I told Gustavo (Oliveira, Sao Paulo’s director) to fly to Paris.”
