United cancel Moura pursuit

Despite admitting their interest just several days ago, it now appears as though Manchester United’s pursuit of Lucas Moura has come to an abrupt end. The agent of the player claims that United are refusing to improve their bid for the midfielder and that means there is no chance of him leaving current club Sao Paolo.

Reports over the weekend claimed that United had all but concluded a deal for the 19-year-old, prompting Sir Alex Ferguson to confirm to the press that the club were at least in negotiations. However, he was quick to state that a deal was a long way from being reached, with the two clubs seemingly some distance apart on a valuation for the player. Some sources have claimed that Sao Paolo value the midfielder at around £30m – which is simply too extravagant for the prudent Fergie.

Moura’s agent, Wagner Ribeiro, certainly feels as though this is the case. In an interview, Ribeiro said, “They have reached their limit, they will not offer anything more. He will not leave. He is happy in São Paulo. This matter has to be terminated, there is no possibility of him leaving now. Manchester United made an offer which was refused, and will not do another because they came up to their limit.”

Such news will undoubtedly come as a disappointment to United supporters, who have seen their club lose out on several other players this summer. Ferguson admitted last week that United were priced out of a deal for Chelsea-bound Eden Hazard, while he has also criticised rival clubs for spending ludicrous amounts of money. It certainly appears that Old Trafford chiefs are operating on a stricter transfer policy this term, although only time will tell if this proves successful considering the big-spending approaches of several of their title opponents.