United, City miss out as Fabinho agrees shock La Liga move

Manchester United, Manchester City and PSG appear to have missed out in the race to sign Monaco star Fabinho after Atletico Madrid agreed a fee for the Brazilian.

United had been chasing the versatile star for some time after he enjoyed a stellar season for the Ligue 1 champions. It’s thought Fabinho was one of the names under consideration by Jose Mourinho as he seeks to sign a new central midfielder this summer.

City were also rumoured to be keen, while PSG saw two bids rejected for the former Real Madrid player.

However, according to Spanish paper AS, Atletico Madrid are closing in on a deal, with a fee of around £40million agreed.

It is said a deal in principle has been reached for the player, who can operate as a right-back or defensive midfielder.

The Spanish paper claims the deal has been agreed despite the club serving a transfer ban, with the move likely to go through in January, with the player spending the first few months of the season at Monaco. However, a gentleman’s agreement could see Fabinho not used in European competition – meaning he would be eligible to play in the latter stages of the Champions League next year, assuming Atletico are still in the competition.

AS also claim Fabinho’s former club Real Madrid will profit from the prospective deal, pocketing £200,000 from the transfer.

Fabinho only featured as a substitute once for Real, before being transfered to Monaco on an initial loan deal in July 2013, before making the move permanent a year later.

News of the move by Atletico has yet to be confirmed by either club, but would serve as another blow for Jose Mourinho, who has so far only managed to sign Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku.