Manchester Utd want Lucas - but is he worth £72m?

Rumours are rife that Manchester United are close to signing brilliant Brazilian teenager Lucas from Sao Paulo. ESPN and Sky Sports both claim the 18-year-old midfielder is being tracked by United and Bayern Munich after an outstanding season for his club.

Lucas (above) caught the eye of Europe's top sides in March when he helped Brazil defeat Scotland 2-0 at Wembley, and his agent Wagner Ribeiro has confirmed the interest: "Lucas was approached earlier this year by Manchester United and Bayern Munich."

Despite the Sunday Times suggesting at the weekend that United boss Alex Ferguson fancied the cut of Joey Barton's jib, it seems that the wily Scot views Lucas as the ideal replacement for the recently retired Paul Scholes. However, according to ESPN, there might be a fly in the ointment - namely Sao Paulo's belief that Lucas is worth £72m, an absurd figure for someone who's just got the vote.

Talking of players who still need to be reminded to wash behind their ears, Southampton have reiterated their desire to hang on to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 17-year-old winger has been courted by the Gunners this summer, leading the teenager to publicly declare his wish to move to the Emirates.

But Saints boss Nigel Adkins has used the club's official website to send a sharp rejoinder to Oxlade-Chamberlain. "I keep saying it, we have to control the controllables," said Adkins. "Alex is a great player who worked very hard and excited the crowd. He came through our system and we are trying to do right by him and develop him and do right for the club... I like to think we are trying to control it in the right way."

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also finding it hard to persuade Valencia to part with Juan Mata despite the Spanish club's coach - Unai Emery - appearing to signal last week that they wouldn't stand in the way of the Spanish international winger if he opted for Arsenal.

But in an interview with Spanish sports rag Superdeporte, Valencia president Manuel Llorente contradicted his coach, saying: "The decision is clear and money will not change our position. Valencia will not sell to any club that wants to buy Mata."

Liverpool know how Arsenal feel having missed out themselves on midfielder Blaise Matuidi. The 24-year-old French international had been chased by the Reds since he made it clear in early June that he no longer had a future with St Etienne.

But it's been revealed in the French press that Matuidi has decided to stay in France, moving to Paris Saint-Germain. PSG are one of the richest clubs in Europe following their acquisition by Qatar Sports Investments and not only have the Parisian outfit captured Matuidi but they've also bagged Roma midfielder Jeremy Menez.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa have agreed to pay Wigan Athletic £9.5m for Charles N'Zogbia although the nitty-gritty of the deal has yet to be finalised. New Villa boss Alex McLeish is a big fan of the 25-year-old French winger and believes he will fill the boots of Ashley Young, who joined Manchester United earlier in the summer.

And Fulham have confirmed that they've signed 19-year-old Pajtim Kasami on a four-year deal from Italian club Palermo. The Cottagers didn't disclose how much they'd paid for the Switzerland Under-21, but manager Martin Jol said: "He is a versatile midfield player who can adapt quite easily to more than one position." ·