Manchester United are on the verge of signing Barcelona midfield star Thiago Alcantara for a bargain price of £17m.
The Daily Mail is reporting that United have agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old and his father of around £90,000 a week and that the two clubs have all but agreed on the deal.
Sir Alex Ferguson is a big fan of Thiago and United had a £15m bid for the midfielder turned down in 2011. After that bid, Thiago signed a new deal at Barca, but it included a playing time clause, which is why he is available at the moment for only £17m.
Thiago was the one of the stars of the U21 tournament, captaining Spain and scoring a hat-trick in the final against Italy.
After being unable to persuade Cesc Fabregas to leave the Camp Nou for Old Trafford this summer, United then turned their attention to Thiago and got a player who I believe can be as good as, if not better, than Fabregas at a fraction of the price that Fabregas would have cost.
Thiago, along with 23-year-old Tom Cleverley gives United a potential midfield partnership for the next decade. Add in 24-year-old Shinji Kagawa who has really impressed in the Confederations Cup and United have three talented young playmakers to build the side around for the next decade.
