BRAZILIAN MIDFIELDER FRED will become Manchester United’s first signing of the summer after the club agreed a deal with Shakhthar Donetsk for his transfer.
The 25-year-old is expected to cost United a reported £52 million, with the box-to-box operator set to fill the void in Jose Mourinho’s midfield left by Michael Carrick’s retirement and the expected departure of Marouane Fellaini.
Fred, who has won eight international caps, is part of Brazil’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, and was involved in their warm-up game against Croatia at Anfield on Sunday.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for the transfer of Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos,” a Manchester United statement read.
“A further announcement will be made in due course.”
Fred caught the eye in Shakhtar’s run to the last-16 of the Champions League, where the Ukrainians only lost out on away goals to Roma, with his stunning free-kick in the first leg of that tie a standout moment.
A record of 15 goals in five seasons with Shakhtar isn’t particularly impressive, but Fred is known for being more of a creator than a goalscorer, with his passing ability one of his key strengths.
Fred will hope to make the same impact on the Premier League as Brazilian international team-mates Willian and Fernandinho, who also arrived in England via spells with Shakhtar.
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