Lazio deny Felipe Anderson set for Manchester United move

Italian outfit Lazio have denied that their star attacker Felipe Anderson is set for a move to Manchester United. The club's president, Claudio Lotito, had been quoted suggesting that a deal had been agreed for a fee in the region of £45 million. According to Roman newspaper Il Messaggero, via Football Italia, Lotito said: "I signed Felipe Anderson for €8m and have already re-sold him for €60m. Next year he’ll go to Manchester United."

However, the Laziale outfit later posted a statement on their website, denying that a sale had been agreed. It read: "In reference to statements attributed to President Claudio Lotito regarding the alleged sale of the player Felipe Anderson, Lazio note that these are lacking in any foundation." Spoilsports.

Of course, the statement may actually mean nothing, but it seems yet more likely that the apparent Lotito hearsay is the real nonsense being spouted for the time being. It's likely that Lazio will be forced into selling Anderson at some point over the next year or two, and it will almost certainly be to one of Europe's biggest clubs. But it would be unwise to get too excited just yet.