Manchester United won't be cashing in from Fulham's sale of Andreas Pereira to Palmeiras, as the Brazilian is leaving for the same £10million fee he was bought for. Pereira, who joined Old Trafford in 2012 after his 16th birthday, rose through the ranks at the Red Devils' academy.
He made a bit of a breakthrough in 2019 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, following several loan spells. Despite signing a fresh four-year contract, he was loaned out to Lazio in 2020 and then to Flamengo the next season. With his game time in Manchester dwindling, Pereira permanently moved to Fulham in 2022 for a reported fee of £10m, with a 20 per cent sell-on clause included in his contract.
After three years at the Cottagers, where he became an integral part of Marco Silva's team, Pereira is returning to Brazil. However, any hopes the Red Devils had of pocketing 20 per cent of any profit from his sale have been dashed, as Pereira has reportedly been sold for £10m once again.
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Fulham confirmed on Friday that Pereira has departed Craven Cottage after making 119 appearances for the club. While the fee remains undisclosed, it is believed to be around £10m, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The 29-year-old had one year left on his Fulham contract. As Fulham didn't profit from this sale, United will not receive any windfall. Pereira's departure paves the way for young star Josh King, who has been starting as the No. 10 for the start of the Premier League season.
Upon departing England, Pereira said: "From the first day at Fulham, I felt at home. Thank you to my teammates, staff, and fans for every moment. After three years, I leave proud of what we achieved together. Fulham will always be part of me."
Yet his recollections of his stint at Old Trafford may not be quite so cherished, as he made abundantly clear to Rio Ferdinand during a conversation last year.
The Brazilian departed just as Erik ten Hag arrived, having swiftly recognised he wasn't included in the Dutchman's blueprint, and chose not to remain to discover whether his circumstances might improve.
Speaking on , Pereira revealed: "This was when I came back to England [after my loan to Flamengo]. Erik ten Hag, he worked at PSV when I was 16 years old," he continued, referencing the period he spent within the Dutch club's academy system.
"Before leaving for United, the [PSV] president and Erik ten Hag came to speak to me and my dad and said, 'Look everything is set up for you at PSV, if you stay here you're going to play in the first team.' But I'd just been to United and spoke with Fergie. I was like, 'I'm going to United.'
"That's why I didn't want to speak to Erik [in 2022] because I knew him and I knew that, at the time, it was always a conversation, like, 'Andreas, stay here.'
"'You're not going to play every game, maybe one game in every three, you'll be around the squad.' That's not what I wanted, I wanted to play."
He further stated: "Leaving United, you're like, 'Am I really going to do this? Am I sure?' In the end, you're never 100 per cent sure, really. Sometimes you think stay and have another go. Other times, you have to leave."
During his tenure at the club, the Brazilian made a total of 75 appearances for United, netting four goals and providing five assists.
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