Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly entered the race to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred this summer.
Manchester United are understood to be leading the race for the Brazilian's signature after their local rivals and Premier League champions Manchester City dropped out of the running last month.
However, free-spending Ligue 1 giants PSG could provide stiff competition for Fred's signature after identifying the 25-year-old as a possible transfer target.
The Manchester Evening News reports that PSG are in the market for a mobile defensive midfielder in order to prevent them from relying too heavily on Adrien Rabiot.
Vice-captain Thiago Motta is 35 and faces an uncertain future at the club, while Lassana Diarra is now 33 and only joined in January from Abu Dhabi outfit Al-Jazira.
Fred has a release clause of €60m (£52.9m) in his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Ukrainian club are unwilling to allow him to leave for anything below that figure with five years still remaining on his current deal.
A new central midfielder is thought to be a priority for United boss Jose Mourinho this summer due to the retirement of Michael Carrick and possible departure of Marouane Fellaini.
Barney Corkhill
