The transfer of Brazilian wonderkid Vanderson to Brentford is ‘on the verge of collapse’, according to the latest reports.
He is a 20-year-old right-back who represents Gremio in the Brazilian Serie A. The defender has been making a name for himself in South America, prompting European clubs to sit up and take notice.
Brentford are known for their clever signings and first began to pursue his signature in the summer. They could not strike a deal but got back in the hunt a week ago.
The Bees put forward an offer worth €11million (£9.3m), plus €3m (£2.5m) in performance bonuses. That led Gremio vice-president Denis Abrahao to admit a deal was in the works.
“Vanderson, we actually received a proposal, which is being discussed with the club and his agent,” he said.
“We are waiting for them to define the business.”
A transfer to the Brentford Community Stadium was reportedly ‘imminent’, but Thomas Frank’s side now face competition from France.
Sport Witness, citing reports coming out of Brazil, claim Monaco are also engaged in negotiations with Gremio.
They desperately want to land Vanderson and have trumped Brentford with a €12m (£10.2m) bid, plus the same level of performance bonuses.
Vanderson’s switch to Ligue 1 is now in the final stages, putting his Brentford move ‘on the verge of collapse’.
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An improved offer from the west London club is unlikely given their financial constraints. Their initial offer for such a young player was already surprising.
An unnamed Italian club also holds an interest in the starlet, but Monaco are now in the driving seat to land him.
Vanderson has made 59 appearances for Gremio to date, scoring five goals and registering three assists.
Brighton vs Brentford to go ahead
Meanwhile, Brentford’s trip to Brighton on Boxing Day will go ahead after Premier League clubs reportedly rejected the idea of postponing Christmas matches at a meeting on Monday.
Officials from the 20 clubs met with Premier League chiefs to discuss concerns over rising Covid-19 cases. They saw six games called off at the weekend, including five on Saturday.
But a Christmas ‘circuit breaker’, which would have involved postponing a round of fixtures from December 28 to 30, has not been supported. Instead those games, as well as the Boxing Day programme, will go ahead.
Brentford travel to the Amex at 20:00 and will be aiming to get their second successive league win. Before then, the Bees host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
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