Gabriel Barbosa's £30m move to Manchester United is 'mere speculation'

Manchester United are not attempting to make Santos starlet Gabriel Barbosa their fifth signing of the summer, according to the forward's agent.

The 19-year-old, also known as 'Gabigol', has garnered a reputation s one of Brazil's brightest emerging talents, with a host of Europe's elite clubs keen on securing his signature. Over the summer months, Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus have all reportedly made offers, with Premier League champions Leicester City also tabling a bid of £23m for the Brazil international, according to the Guardian.

But on Monday (15 August), The Sun claimed United had overtaken their rivals and were poised to seal a £30m (€34.6m) move, including a £4m commission fee to Barbosa's agent Wagner Ribeiro.

Ribeiro, however, has dismissed talk of an offer from United, telling Brazilian broadcaster Globo Esporte claims from The Sun are "merely speculation."

Wagner's comments are at odds with suggestions made by Barbosa's current club Santos. While stopping short of confirming any offers, club president Modesto Roma recently said he has held productive talks with representatives from a clutch of European clubs including United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.

"We had productive conversations," Roma told Goal.com. "We didn't come to buy or sell players, neither in London or Madrid. We came to build up relationships. There weren't offers, but we did talk about partnerships. I talked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid."

Barbosa is currently with the Brazil team looking to win Olympic gold on home soil at Rio 2016.

The hosts take on Honduras in their semi-final clash on Wednesday (17 August), having seen off Colombia in a bad-tempered affair on Saturday, with goals from Neymar and Luan sealing victory.

The gold medal match will take place at the Maracana on Saturday.