Manchester United was on the brink of signing long-time target Bruno Fernandes in a deal worth up to 80 million euros ($88 million), giving under-pressure manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the creative and prolific central midfielder the team has desperately needed.
The Portugal international was scheduled to have his medical examination on Thursday and finalize personal terms with United ahead of completing the Premier League's most high-profile transfer of the January transfer window.
“Take good care of our boy, Man United,” Fernandes' Portuguese club, Sporting Lisbon, said on Twitter.
United has lacked an attacking midfielder with an eye for a pass and a goal, with Paul Pogba - a player who has those qualities - missing for most of the season because of injury and seemingly unsettled at Old Trafford.