'Manchester United and Liverpool are part of my dream' - Shakhtar midfielder Tete makes transfer admission

Charlotte Duncker

'Manchester United and Liverpool are part of my dream' - Shakhtar midfielder Tete makes transfer admission image

Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Tete has admitted his dream transfer would be to Manchester United, Liverpool or Barcelona.

The 20-year-old, who predominantly plays on the right wing, has made 16 starts in the league for the Ukrainian side this season and also made three appearances in the Champions League before Shakhtar were knocked out.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in the market for an attacking midfielder when the transfer window finally opens with right wing a priority.

However, Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho is the top target and there is no suggestion that Tete is on United, or Liverpool’s, summer transfer list.

Still, the Brazilian admitted that he dreams of a move to the Premier League with a move to Liga giants Barcelona also counted among his ideal scenarios.

"Three clubs are part of my dream in Europe: Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool. Gigantic clubs with fantastic managers and an incredible number of trophies. As a player, I dream of winning important titles and those clubs are incredible options to achieve that,” he told Esporte Interativo.

“I know United and Liverpool are rivals. But, if the moment of choosing one of them actually came about I would have to choose wisely.”

But despite mentioning Barcelona the 20-year-old believes his style would be better suited to a move to the Premier League.

"The Premier League is an extraordinary competition, the game is played at a great pace, there are lots of great managers and great clubs,” Tete said. “I feel the players have more creative freedom there. That's the difference amongst Europe's biggest leagues."

Nicknamed 'Hurricane' in his homeland, Tete never played a senior match for his previous club Gremio before being snapped up by Shakhtar for €10m (£8.9m/$11m) in 2019. And despite Brazil's struggles at the Under-20 Copa Sudamericano in early 2019, Tete stood out as a potent attacking weapon, and it was not long until he would arrive in Europe.

This season he has bagged five goals and four assists across all competitions as he secured his spot in Luis Castro’s starting XI.

Tete's latest comments show he’s got ambitions beyond staying at Shakhtar and possibly following in the footsteps of fellow Brazilian midfielder Fred who joined United from the Ukrainian side in 2018.

Charlotte Duncker

Charlotte Duncker Photo

Charlotte Duncker is Goal's Manchester United correspondent covering the club home and away across all competitions. She joined Goal in March 2020 after three years at the Manchester Evening News covering both United and Manchester City.