Arsenal and Manchester United will battle it out for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, according to the Daily Star journalist Paul Hetherington.
The Brazilian, who has six caps for his country, is an integral part of Shakhtar’s midfield, helping them to the last 16 of the Champions League in a group that contained Serie A leaders Napoli and Manchester City.
Fred has been on a radar of a number of clubs with the likes of Inter Milan, Napoli, Valencia and Atletico Madrid all taking an interest in the 24 year old, who is rated at £30m. He has spent the last four and a half seasons at Shakhtar where he has made 142 appearances, gaining a reputation for dictating play with his passing, and breaking up opposition attacks.
The midfielder does tend to pick up bookings, and this season he has been cautioned nine times, with his last game coming before Ukraine’s winter break seeing him sent off for two bookable offences in the 2-1 league defeat to Zorya Luhansk.
