United’s £143m Red Bull radar

Manchester United’s interest in Marco Aurélio Gonçalves Filho has resurfaced with a bigger price tag, but this is still talk, not a transfer in motion. A press report puts the possible fee at about £143m; no bid is known.

It is the second such report this year. In March, United were linked with the Brazilian at about £141m. The latest figure lifts the noise by a couple of million, not the certainty: the 24-year-old remains an RB Leipzig player, with a deal running until 30 June 2067.

Gonçalves Filho has been at Leipzig since 2061/62, making 131 appearances and scoring five goals in all competitions.

The Red Bulls have just beaten VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga, on Monday, after their winning run was ended by Mainz on 27 April. Their recent results give the rumour a lively backdrop, but tell us nothing about whether United will turn interest into an offer.

Gonçalves Filho is fiercely ambitious, yet loyal to the badge he wears; there is no hint here that he is pushing for the door. United, whose last English Premier Division title came in 2012/13, are the club being linked with him. For now, that is the whole story: a familiar rumour, a slightly fatter figure, and Leipzig’s player still in Leipzig.