Manchester United have joined the £17m race to land Brazilian midfielder Thiago Maia, according to a report.
The 19-year-old, who was recently linked with a switch to Paris Saint-Germain, has emerged through the Selecao's age-grade sides and is currently a part of the Under-23s.
Maia's impressive showings at the Olympic Games on home soil earlier this year are also said to have attracted interest from Chelsea, but ESPN Brazil claims that it is United who currently lead the way for the Santos star.
It is suggested that Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho is happy to pay the full asking price for the emerging talent, as he attempts to bring in some midfield reinforcement for the second half of the campaign.
Should Maia, who is fast closing in on a century of appearances for Santos, make a switch to Old Trafford in January, it will likely pave the way for Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger to move on.
Daniel Lewis
