Fulham have completed the signing of Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira for a fee of around £10m ahead of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.
The Brazilian joins on a permanent transfer following two consecutive loan spells away from Old Trafford in recent years, first with Lazio in 2020-21, before spending the 2021-22 season with Flamengo, where he made 20 appearances.
After coming through the academy with the Red Devils, the 26-year-old went on to make 75 appearances for the first-team during his 11-year stay in total, where he struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting lineup under various managers.
Pereira becomes Fulham's second signing of the summer following the arrival of Portugal international Joao Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon.
The midfielder will now join up with his teammates ahead of the 2022-23 season, in which Fulham face last season's runners-up Liverpool on the opening day, following their promotion back to the top flight.
Fulham FC statement - Geoff Pruce
The Club is delighted to announce the signing of Andreas Pereira from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.
The versatile midfielder has agreed a four-year deal, tying him to Craven Cottage until the summer of 2026, with the Club holding an option to extend by a further 12 months.
After signing his deal, Pereira said: “I’m very happy to be here and I can’t wait to start the season with Fulham.
“I want to help Fulham as much as I can to be where they belong. Marco Silva was very important for this. I spoke a lot with him, and he was a key factor in me being here.”
Tony Khan also commented: “It’s a tremendous pleasure to welcome Andreas Pereira to Fulham! Andreas is a very talented player, and he’s excited to join Fulham and work with our great coach Marco Silva.
“We believe that Andreas will be a valuable asset for the Club, and he’ll be an important part of our squad as we prepare for our return to the Premier League! Come on Fulham!”
Born in Belgium while his professional footballer father was playing there, Pereira later moved to neighbouring Holland where he joined PSV Eindhoven’s academy.
At the age of 16, he joined Manchester United, impressing as he moved up the age groups to earn a senior debut in the League Cup in August 2014. A Premier League bow followed later that season in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Pereira’s maiden goal for the club came in his first appearance of 2015/16 when he was handed a full debut against Ipswich Town, ending the campaign with 11 appearances to his name, including a first taste of Champions League football.
To further his development, he spent the subsequent two seasons in La Liga, shining in a struggling Granada side with eight goal involvements, before helping Valencia to a top-four finish.
Back at United, Pereira was a regular under Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, featuring 62 times across the next two years.
His first Premier League strike – a stunner against Southampton – won the club’s goal of the season award, and the following year saw them reach the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, whilst also securing a third place finish in the Premier League.
A new challenge arose in 2020/21 as Pereira embarked on a season-long loan with Italian outfit Lazio, whom he helped reach the Champions League knock-out stages as well as a top-six finish in the league.
He then had a first experience of football outside of Europe with a temporary spell at Flamengo, joining midway through their 2021 campaign which finished in a runners-up spot in Série A.
Pereira stayed with the Rio de Janeiro outfit for the first half of 2022, scoring a stunning winner on his final appearance in the Copa Libertadores.
A regular in the Belgium youth setup, Pereira switched his allegiance to Brazil – the country of his parents’ birth – at Under-20 level, winning his first senior cap in a 5-0 win over El Salvador in September 2018.