Manchester United Transfer News: Robin van Persie Agent May Scupper Move

According to a report on Goal.com, Robin van Persie's agent is demanding a £4 million cut of any deal made between Manchester United and Arsenal.

The fee threatens to derail any potential transfer, due to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's noted disdain for add-ons and extra agent payments.

And whilst some reports are claiming that a deal is close, the story reveals that Sir Alex is not willing to bid more than £15 million for the player.

The piece also believes that Van Persie is closer to staying at the club than leaving.

"Staying at the club is not the unpalatable prospect it was when he released his incendiary statement on July 4 that questioned the club’s ambition and made it clear he would not extend a contract that expires in 12 months’ time," it says.

In other United news, fans have learnt just how close their team came to clinching the signing of Lucas Moura earlier this week.

Speaking to UOL, Lucas Moura's now infamous agent has admitted that the player was extremely close to joining Manchester United, before PSG made their move (h/t Goal.com).

"Everything was agreed between Sao Paulo and Manchester United," he told reporters. "The contract had been written and just needed to be signed. But then Leonardo called me and asked to talk to Lucas."

For those who wanted the Brazilian to come to Old Trafford, such comments will most likely prove frustrating, knowing that a transfer was so close to taking place.

It was believed that United had made a bid in the region of £30 million, before the French club made a last-minute offer close to £35 million to trump them.

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke of his frustration in the wake of the negotiations collapsing, speaking to reporters after his team lost a preseason friendly against Barcelona on penalties (via The Telegraph):

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"I find it quite amazing that a club can pay 45million euros for a 19-year-old boy," said the Scot.

"To tell everyone that PSG are here they've signed Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They must have spent about £150million in the last month."

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Moura's agent further risked the ire of United fans by revealing that the player wasn't overly impressed with the city of Manchester.

"The possibility of living in Paris—a much more pleasant city than Manchester—also influenced his decision," he said (h/t Goal.com).

With only a few weeks left in the current transfer window, it remains to be seen whether or not United will make another marquee signing.