United make offer for Brazilian wonderkid, says agent

The agent of AS Roma defender Marquinhos has claimed that Manchester United have made an offer for his services, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

Calenda told Mundo Deportivo: "The club told us he could leave. There are offers from PSG, Manchester United and Barcelona."

Marquinhos, a young but stunningly-talented centre-back, excelled in an otherwise-dodgy Roma defence in the Serie A last season. He is freakishly good for his age, so much so that he has a genuinely eerie quality to his talent, in the manner of a true prodigy. It's not bombastic at all to claim that he could be the best in the world, and is probably on a level that, in his age group, includes only Raphael Varane at present.

He'd probably cost a fair amount, but if we're going to buy a centre-back, this is a much more exciting option than Ezequiel Garay or Davide Astori. The source isn't the most reliable - agents link their players to clubs all the time for a host of reasons - but United's interest has been mooted before and the player is probably leaving in this window.