United Prepare €45m January Move for Sporting Midfielder - Report

Manchester United are considering a move in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho in January, according to talkSPORT.

The report claims United boss David Moyes has set his eyes on the defensive midfielder and the Scot is keen on bringing Carvalho to Old Trafford in the midseason-transfer window.

The 21-year-old came up through the ranks of the Portuguese side's academy. Sporting were forced to offload a few of their players in the summer due to financial crisis at the club, forcing them to promote their academy graduates to the first team.

Carvalho spent the previous season on loan with Belgium side Cercle Brugge and United have been following the midfielder since then. Portuguese newspaper A Bola reports the Premier League champions have sent their scouts to watch him in action as the English outfit for preparing a move in the winter.

United have shared a good relationship with Sporting, having signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Nani from the Portuguese club in the past. The Real Madrid star went on to be one of the greatest players to play for the Old Trafford club while Nani signed a new deal with the English champions.

Moyes is hoping to use the two club's relationship to his advantage in landing Carvalho in January. The midfielder has already been capped for Portugual's U21 side. Carvalho is under contract with Sporting till 2018 and Record claims he is believed to have a €45m buyout clause.

The Premier League winners made several attempts in bringing midfielders to the club in the summer transfer window. However, they were successful in signing Marouane Fellaini after the Belgium international arrived on the deadline day from Everton.

Moyes has had a jittering start to his United career as they sit 12th in the league table after six games.

Meanwhile, United saw their Champions League night end with a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian side's manager Mircea Lucescu insisted the result was best for both clubs.

"The result satisfies both sides. United capitalised on our mistake and scored a fortunate goal. The draw is not the worst outcome for either team. I am happy we rose to their level and even got the better of them in certain aspects," Lucescu explained.