PSG in late bid for Manchester United target Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura in action for the Brazil Olympics side (GETTY IMAGES)

French club PSG are set to hijack Manchester United's move for Sao Paulo youngster Lucas Moura after launching a last-minute bid.

The Brazilian playmaker was reportedly set for a move to the Premier League side but is now understood to be making a move to Paris after his agent Wagner Ribeiro held talks with PSG's sporting director Leonardo last week.

Reports in Brazil indicate that the highly-rated international has virtually agreed a deal to become Carlo Ancelotti's latest signing this summer after already spending €100m on Ezequiel Lavezzi, Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti.

PSG have spent over €200m since last summer after they were taken over by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The new owners immediately signalled their intentions to make the Parisian outfit a European giant by breaking the French transfer record with the €42m acquisition of Javier Pastore from Palermo.

Manchester United were poised to win the race for Lucas Moura, who is rated at £30m. He should feature in tomorrow's Olympic semi-final against South Korea at Old Trafford. The Red Devil's have already had one bid rejected this summer.

The Brazilian football federation yesterday released a statement denying that the midfielder underwent a medical ahead of a proposed move to the Premier League side.

Lucas' Brazil teammate Oscar recently joined Chelsea in a £25m deal.