Manchester United Transfer News: Pursuit of Lucas Moura Is Worth the Steep Cost

Manchester United is flirting with an unbelievable young talent and needs to be aggressive in ensuring he becomes a member of the club.

According to John Edwards of the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are interested in bringing Lucas Moura of Sao Paulo to town, but the asking price is rather high. Sao Paulo has rejected a £30 million offer, but the Red Devils can’t give up now.

According to the report, the price tag may increase to £34 million in the coming days, which is incredibly steep for a 19-year-old.

Sir Alex Ferguson has shown significant interest, and sent chief scout Jim Lawlor all the way to Brazil last week to work out some sort of deal with Moura according to Edwards. Obviously it didn’t result in a deal, but they are still more than capable of landing him.

The good news for the Red Devils is that Inter Milan, also in the hunt for Moura’s services, was laughed out for a “ridiculous” offer they put on the table last week according to ESPN Soccernet.

Moura’s father, who doubles as his agent, met with Inter Milan without striking a deal. Sao Paulo’s director of football Joao Paulo de Jesus Lopes has ripped the offer from Inter Milan (via Daily Mail):

"

“There is no (formal) offer and, even if it were to appear, this amount is ridiculous. How can you pay €25m (£20m) for a player of Lucas's quality? Italian football is broke - the club (Inter) are broke. It seems they are creating this to satisfy the fans.”

"

Don’t expect Moura to be heading to Italy anytime soon.

With the departure of Ji-Sung Park, Man U is going to be much better off with a midfielder of Moura’s caliber, despite his lack of experience.

Moura is one of the highest-rated prospects across the globe right now, with outstanding passing skills and incredible on-ball talents. He is a powerful attacker that will only get stronger as his body fully develops.

He has incredible stepover moves and a terrific amount of pace to his game that allows him to have terrific rhythm with the ball.

The pressure is high for Man U right now after rival Manchester City won the Premier League Championship in 2011-12. They have a glaring hole that Moura can fill for the next few years and maybe beyond.

Despite the high price tag, it’s a move the Red Devils need to make to keep their fans happy and stay competitive for the foreseeable future. 

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.