KEY POINTS

  • Lucas Moura has not made a single start for PSG this season.
  • Mourinho is keen to sign the winger on loan, but PSG want a permanent solution.

Jose Mourinho's wish to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura during the January transfer window could be granted after the Ligue 1 club's manager Unai Emery admitted that fringe players could be allowed to move in order to get regular playing time.

The Manchester United boss has identified the Brazilian winger as one of his top targets of the winter transfer window and is keen for the Red Devils to bring him to Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old has found game time hard to come by this season following the summer arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. He has made just six appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 leaders this campaign.

"Some players who play less, maybe they can be protagonists of another team because they are good players and do not have the opportunity to play here, like Lucas Moura or Hatem Ben Arfa," Emery said, as quoted on French publication L'Equipe.

Moura is also said to be keen to make a switch this month as he is to play regular first-team football in the hope of winning his place back in the Brazil squad ahead of the World Cup in Russia this summer. United are ready to provide him with an escape route from Paris, but will need to come to an agreement with the Ligue 1 outfit.

According to the Sun, Mourinho is keen on signing Moura on a temporary basis until the end of the campaign, but PSG are looking for a permanent solution rather than a loan deal. The report claims that the French club want an agreement with the 20-time English champions that will see them sign the Brazilian permanently for a fee of around £40m ($54.4m) after the loan deal expires at the end of the current campaign.

United are not the only club keen on signing the South American as Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan are also looking to take him to the Far East. Moura, however, is said to be keen to continue playing at a top club in Europe rather than chase the riches in China.

Lucas Moura
Lucas Moura has not made a single start for PSG this season Getty