Manchester United gaffer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to reinforce his squad with creative midfielders and the search has led to the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward holding further talks with Sporting Lisbon about emerging Portugal talent Bruno Fernandes.
Portuguese media report that Woodward and Sporting president Frederico Varandas met at the club's Mayfair offices on Friday, almost sealing a €60 million deal for the 25-year-old.
Solskjaer's United was interested in Fernandes last summer but failed to complete the deal as they found the asking price of €80 million too much. However, Sporting Lisbon's financial troubles have forced them to lower their demand after they reportedly failed to convince Tottenham Hotspur to enter a bidding war with the Red Devils for the Portugal international. Earlier, the London-based club had also shown interest in Fernandes.
According to a Portuguese media, even though United is yet to make any official statement on the matter, the most important terms of the deal are "already negotiated and understood" between Woodward and Varandas.
With Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera leaving Old Tafford and Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay yet to return from injuries, Solskjaer's hunt for a creative midfielder who has the natural instinct to score goals is obvious.
Bruno Fernandes, who has represented Portugal national team 19 times so far, seems ideal for United having scored 31 goals in 52 games for Sporting. He also carries the fame of having played in Italy's Serie A with Udinese, Novara and Sampdoria.
According to another report, Manchester United has also offered to give Sporting their Argentine defender Marcos Rojo. The 29-year-old defender played for the Portuguese side until he came to England in 2014.
The English giants are also linked with Donny van de Beek - one of Ajax's wonderkids who was instrumental in their Champions League run last season. The 22-year-old Netherlands international has so far scored 8 goals from 26 games this season for Ajax. When asked to comment on a possible move, Van de Beek's agent did not deny interest between United and the player.