Left-sided full back has a deal in Spain until 2017.
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Premier League champions Manchester United are on the verge of signing Real Madrid defender Fabio Coentrao in the January transfer window, according to reports in The Times.
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The Red Devils came desperately close to landing the highly rated Portugal international on transfer deadline day during the summer, only for the move to collapse at the very last minute owing to complications with the player’s paperwork at United’s end.
However, with new los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti having since preferred to go with Brazilian left-back Marcelo instead so far in this campaign, Coentrao is said to now be determined to depart the Santiago Bernabeu this month in the search for regular first-team football ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
And as a result, it is understood that the Italian has told his attacking full back that he is free to leave the Spanish capital now that the winter window has reopened for business once again, with the player’s representative, super-agent Jorge Mendes, having already flown to England to finalise his client’s move to Old Trafford.
However, despite personal terms having been agreed between Coentrao and United, the deal is still being held up over Madrid’s insistence that the Portuguese is worth more than the £12m that the Premier League giants are currently offering for the 25-year-old.
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