Lucas Moura reveals Leonardo's last-minute call killed his Manchester United move in 2012

Lucas Moura has revealed he was on the verge of joining Manchester United before a last-minute phone call from PSG’s then-director of football Leonardo convinced him to choose Paris instead, ending what the Brazilian winger described as one of the hardest decisions of his career.

The 33-year-old, who now plays for his hometown club São Paulo after spells at PSG and Tottenham Hotspur, told The Telegraph that he had fully expected to move to Old Trafford before Leonardo intervened personally. “I was very close to joining Manchester United,” Moura said. “It nearly happened but, at the last minute, Leonardo called me and spoke to me and my parents. It was a very difficult moment because suddenly I had to make a choice when I thought I was joining Manchester United. I thought about it a lot; I talked about it with my family and I made my choice. Football is like that. You have to choose a team.”

Moura went on to spend six seasons at PSG, winning four Ligue 1 titles, before joining Spurs for around £25 million in 2018. He made 221 appearances for Tottenham and played in the 2019 Champions League final, where Spurs lost to Liverpool.

The revelation comes as United pursue another Brazilian midfielder in the current transfer window. The club had agreed a fee of £35 million plus £3.8 million in add-ons with Atalanta for 27-year-old Ederson roughly six weeks ago, but the deal has grown complicated after medical tests raised concerns over a knee injury the player sustained last season.

Ederson was a late addition to Brazil’s squad for the World Cup, which disrupted the original timeline — the transfer had been expected to complete in early July. He underwent part of his medical while in the United States and had further checks after Brazil were eliminated by Norway in the last 16.

Sources in Italy have suggested the deal is off, with Atalanta reportedly ready to offer Ederson a new five-year contract. United, however, have not ruled out proceeding with the signing and are said to be exploring a restructured agreement to address the medical concerns.