Flamengo have confirmed that Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has left the club at the end of his loan spell, although both they and the player remain keen on a permanent deal.
Pereira joined Flamengo last summer on a deal until the end of June. He was involved in two partial Brazilian seasons and also played in the 2021 Copa Libertadores final.
The 26-year-old, who had an unsuccessful loan with Lazio during the 2020/21 European season, even scored a stunner for Flamengo in his last game with the team on Thursday against Deportes Tolima of Colombia in the Copa Libertadores.
Fulham have already agreed a transfer fee with Manchester United and have permission to negotiate personal terms with Pereira.
Cottagers remain confident of concluding the proposed deal, with Marco Silva pushing hard to get him on board following their return to the Premier League. But Flamengo are also still trying to make a deal happen.
Pereira himself has not been shy about his desire to stay with the Brazilian side, insisting the final decision is out of his hands and will be made by the Old Trafford hierarchy.
“I’m not the one who decides – it’s up to Manchester United,” Pereira said this week.
“I would like to stay at Flamengo, but it’s not in my hands. I’ll see what’s best for me and the club. I love Flamengo. We will soon speak and decide. My relationship between me and Flamengo has always been very good. This year was incredible for me.
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll always leave with my head held high. I love the club, I love Flamengo, I’m Flamengo. I will come back in the future.”
Following on from a strong 2021, Pereira looked to have briefly fallen out of favour earlier in 2022, leading to rumours Flamengo had withdrawn their interest.
But the former PSV Eindhoven academy player hasn’t looked back since a match-winning performance in Rio de Janeiro’s famous Fla-Flu derby against Fluminense towards the end of May.
