United Target Nani Replacement - Report

Manchester United are set to replace Portuguese winger Nani with FC Porto attacker James Rodriguez, according to the Daily Mirror.

The 25-year-old is yet to pen a new deal with just two years remaining on his current contract, while contact with manager Sir Alex Ferguson during the European Championship has been minimal.

Ferguson is understood to have a reputation for keeping in contact with his players during major finals, however has communicated little with Nani during the summer.

Nani helped Portugal into the last eight of Euro 2012, playing a part in their win over Netherlands, will face group A winners Czech Republic in the quarter-final.

United are now said to be looking to replace Nani with Porto's James Rodriguez, who scored 13 domestic goals last season.

The 20-year-old is one of South America's hottest prospects and is likely to play an influential role in Colombia's World Cup 2014 qualification attempts.

With Hulk expected to leave Porto this summer for the Premier League, Rodriguez is being heavily linked to follow him to England.

However, the deal appears to hinge on the future of Nani, who is down the pecking order at the 12-time Premier League champions.

The former Sporting Lisbon prodigy often played second fiddle to Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young last season, while injury also disrupted his campaign for United.

His opportunities would be further restricted after the signing of Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, with the Japanese international likely to fill in either behind the central striker or from the left of a three-man attack.

With competition also coming from Ji-Sung Park and the evergreen Ryan Giggs, Nani could view a stall in his contract negotiations as a sign to leave Old Trafford.

United will be eager to make amends for last season's lapse in the title race, where they relinquished an eight-point lead in the final weeks of the season, and saw rivals Manchester City snatch the title away in the final moments of their win over Queens Park Rangers.

The club begin their attempts to reclaim their title away at Everton on the first day of the 2012/13 Premier League season.