Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon are reportedly close to reaching a compromise over a £47m deal for midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The 25-year-old is believed to be United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's leading winter transfer target as he seeks to bolster his central-midfield options.
Sporting assistant Emanuel Ferro has cast doubt on a move going through, though, amid suggestions that negotiations have reached an impasse.
United were apparently only willing to pay £42.5m, which falls some way short of the rumoured £68m Sporting have been holding out for.
However, according to Portuguese outlet Plataforma, the two clubs could meet in the middle in order to finalise a transfer before the January 31 deadline.
As well as paying £47m upfront, United will also supposedly include a number of bonuses as part of the deal.
Fernandes played the full 90 minutes of Sporting's 2-0 loss to rivals Benfica last week and took part in training on Monday.
Daniel Lewis
