Marquinhos for Manchester United? All you need to know about PSG’s exciting Brazilian centre-back
Football Whispers say that for £60million United would sign a fast, athletic player, strong in the air and technically gifted
MANCHESTER UNITED have boosted their defensive options with the £30million signing of Swedish centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica.
But reports suggest Jose Mourinho is ready to spend again to further bolster his backline.
Globo Esporte in Brazil claim the Red Devils have lodged a whopping £60m bid for Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Marquinhos.
That figure which would set a new transfer record for a defender.
Marquinhos is widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world and our friends at Football Whispers have profiled him to see whether he’s worth such a huge fee.
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Who is Marquinhos and where does he come from?
BORN in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Marquinhos joined Corinthians’ academy when he was just eight.
After helping the Brazilian club’s youth side become state champions he was promoted to the first-team in 2012, but only turned out 14 times for the Timao before being snapped up by Roma.
The Serie A side forked out around £2.4m for the gifted defender that summer, but he wouldn’t be in Rome long.
He played 30 times in all competitions, helping the Giallorossi reach the Coppa Italia final, before Marquinhos was sold to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain for £26m.
The 17-cap Brazil international split his time between centre-back and right-back at Roma, a trend which continued upon his move to Ligue 1.
He has even featured as a defensive midfielder on occasion.
Although he is at his best in the centre of defence, PSG’s £50million signing of David Luiz in the summer of 2014 forced Marquinhos to operate as a right-back. B
But fellow-Brazilian Luiz's return to Chelsea a year ago allowed Marquinhos to operate in his preferred role in the middle of the backline alongside another compatriot in Thiago Silva.
Fast, athletic, strong in the air and technically gifted, Marquinhos has everything you’d expect of a top level centre-back in the modern game.
His positional sense has improved over the years and he is comfortable with the ball at his feet to link play with the midfield.
In 29 Ligue 1 appearances last season, Marquinhos completed an incredible 93.6 per cent of his passes and even bettered that average in eight Champions League outings by picking out a colleague on 93.8 per cent of his attempts.
He also chipped in with three league goals and a fourth in the Coupe de France.
How much would Marquinhos cost?
According to Globo Esporte, United’s offer of £60m is by far the biggest on the table.
When Marquinhos was the subject of Barcelona transfer rumours last summer, a fee of around £35m was suggested.
But the current level of market inflation means that figure would now fall some way short of tempting PSG into selling.
What is Marquinhos’ most likely destination?
Barcelona are long-term admirers and have been linked with a big-money move for the PSG star in the last few transfer windows.
PSG will be in no rush to part ways with Marquinhos given he has a contract until 2019,.
So unless an astronomical offer lands at their door, he is more likely to still be at the Parc des Princes next season.