The agent of Marcos Leonardo, a forward previously linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, has confirmed that the young starlet is actively pushing for a January move to Europe.
The 20-year-old has become one of Brazil’s most exciting prospects after bursting onto the scene last season and scoring 21 goals for Santos in all competitions. This term, he already has 13 goals and two assists in the Brazilian Serie A.
Now though, it appears Leonardo won’t be seeing out the campaign with his boyhood club. He agreed to stay with Santos in the 2022/2023 season to help as best he could with their targets and league finish, rebuffing approaches from top European clubs in the process, but now, he’s ready to take the leap and test himself in a new division.
Leonardo’s agent on European move
The striker’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, told the media of his player’s desire to seal a new opportunity in the winter.
He said, as quoted by the Evening Standard: “Already in the previous transfer market he had the possibility of being sold, but Santos’ sporting situation was very particular. He agreed to stay because he wanted to help out until the end of the championship. He didn’t want to leave because it wasn’t the right thing to do.
“But the time has come to move. He wants to have a European experience and his time will come this winter.”
Whether or not United will reestablish their interest remains to be seen, as they are reportedly looking at adding a new No.9 to take some of the burden off of Rasmus Hojlund.
In the summer, speculation suggested that the Reds had prepared a €25 million offer for the Brazilian youngster but ultimately, their pursuit failed to materialise.
