Man Utd thunder into race for £43.3m-rated Liverpool winger target with Salah comparison ‘correct’ – report | OneFootball

Manchester United are reportedly set to go head-to-head with Liverpool for the signing of Juventus winger Francisco Conceicao, whose impressive performances have seen him compared to Mo Salah by his manager.

The 23-year-old, who is nicknamed ‘Chico’, came close to moving to the Premier League last summer when Everton identified him as a top target, before he ultimately snubbed the Toffees in favour of a £28million switch from Porto to Turin, following an initial loan spell with Juventus.

Conceicao has established himself as a key player, having made 38 appearances across all competitions for the Serie A giants this season, notching four goals and four assists.

Despite those numbers not being incredible, he has performed consistently well. He outshone AC Milan’s Rafael Leao in Juve’s 0-0 draw with the Rossoneri, and that has not gone unnoticed.

TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey revealed last month how Conceicao had ‘caught Liverpool’s eye’ as they weigh up potential Salah replacements, with the Egyptian leaving at the season’s end.

But according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Man Utd are showing interest in Conceicao as they ‘seek attacking reinforcements’ in preparation for the Champions League next season.

The report claims that it could take up to €50million (£43.3m / $58.5m) for Man Utd to sign Conceicao, and if the 15-time capped Portuguese international performs well at the World Cup, his price tag could rise even further.

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‘Ferocious’ Conceicao compared with Salah as interest heats up

Juventus’ manager, Luciano Spalletti, managed Salah during his time at Roma, and feels the recent comparisons between the Liverpool icon and Conceicao are fair, and highlighted areas where the Juve star can still improve.

“The comparison is correct,” Spalletti said in a recent interview.

“He’s a young lad, he still has a lot of experience to gain, he needs to convince himself that he can play inside a bit, and having a man behind him shouldn’t make him anxious. If he receives the ball on the outside and faces you, however, he becomes unmarkable.”

“He needs to improve his shot quality, because Salah is top-notch, but Conceiçao has this intensity and ferocity in one-on-one situations that makes him really difficult to keep up with.”

However, despite the interest from the Premier League, Conceicao’s brother, Sergio, has revealed that Francisco has an excellent relationship with Spalletti, and also played down suggestions that he could leave this summer.

“They have an excellent relationship, Spalletti has shown enormous faith in Chico,” Sergio told Tuttosport. 

“He also feels a sense of responsibility: he’s well, he’s happy, and now he wants to take the final, definitive step in his development.”

He was then asked ‘Will Chico stay in Turin?’, to which he responded: “Of course, he has a contract, right?”

Conceicao is indeed under contract with Juventus until 2030, which puts the Serie A side in a strong negotiating position.