Man Utd line up Mauricio transfer deal

Manchester United are lining up a move for Brazilian defender Mauricio. The Sporting Lisbon defender has been linked with a move to the Premier League champions and as a possible long term successor for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

The 25-year-old, who only made a switch to the Portuguese side Lisbon last summer, has already attracted the interest of numerous European scouts but Manchester United are believed to be the team most interested in acquiring Mauricio's services. The central defender has yet to appear for his country's national team but is expected to make a push to be a part of Brazil's World Cup squad next year.


Maurio has spent time playing for seeral Brazilian teams, having come through the youth setup at Palmeiras and then later playing for the senior side, he then made various loan moves to the likes of Vitoria and Gremio. Eventually a move to Portugal would beckon after Sporting's scouts spotted him in action playing for Sport Recife. With four and a half years left on the defender's deal, the player is not going to be sold on the cheap. It is understood that Sporting are requesting as much as 14 million Euros for the defender.