Since arriving at Old Trafford after his nation’s near successful World Cup campaign this summer, Louis van Gaal has seemingly been unable to avoid the numerous headlines and transfer rumours linking him to PSG’s up-and-coming defensive talent – Marquinhos.

The 20-year-old Brazilian, who cost the Parisian giants in the region of £30million from Roma back in the summer of 2013, simply goes down as one of the most highly valued young stars in European football at the moment.

The Sao Paulo born centre-back nevertheless remains a raw gem still in need of a great deal of guidance and experience to shape his game even further – but under the leadership of a man such as Louis van Gaal at a club such as Manchester United – great things really could be expected of the young Brazilian.

Despite the constant talk linking United to the current Ligue 1 man however, PSG seemingly have equal amounts of admiration for the rapidly rising star. The club have been quick to issue a recent hands-off warning over their current no.5, with some reports even slapping an incredible £112 million price tag on the young defenders head.

In light of such developments, do Manchester United still stand a slim chance of landing the highly sought after Brazilian, or has Louis van Gaal now seemingly missed out on the sensational signing of Marquinhos?

[ad_pod id='football-friends' align='center']

For one thing, current PSG boss - Laurent Blanc - has been quick to dispel any talk of his rising young star departing the Ligue 1 giants in the not so distant future: "We have done everything to keep him and we will do everything possible to extend his contract.”

“It is good that as a player he can operate in different roles, and let’s not forget that he is just 20 years old. He and Adrien Rabiot represent the future of PSG.”

Wherever his future lies, the current PSG talent really does arrive as a very exciting prospect. Not only does the former Roma and Corinthians star possess an excellent ability to read the game and shut out his opponents defensively, Marquinhos also brings with him great skill with the ball at his feet as well as a somewhat rare ability source some pretty sweet through-balls from the back. In true South American style, some of the things this young defender has managed to pull off have really been a joy to behold for the Parc des Princes faithful.

That said, Marquinhos’ compatriots – in the shape of Thiago Silva and David Luiz – may potentially halt defender’s career whilst playing in France. Yes – this season has proved to be a somewhat fruitful campaign for the youngster, but as Laurent Blanc’s more high profile defenders potentially have the ability to oust Marquinhos of his much needed first team action in the near future, a proposed move away from Ligue 1 might not be such a bad idea for the player after all.

Manchester United could therefore prove the perfect next step for the young star should he eventually decide to move on from French football. The likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have hardly proved to be the top draw players many made them out to be upon initially arriving at Old Trafford, and as the newly acquired Marcos Rojo also comes with a great deal of suspicion over his ability to solidly play at centre-back, Louis van Gaal could certainly do with someone of Marquinhos’ ability throughout the course of next season.

If such a deal were to take place however, the Red Devils may have to stump up even more cash in their attempts to land the highly valued Brazilian. The potential signing of Marquinhos would certainly offer some truly promising signs for the future at Old Trafford, but with several more established and reliable defensive talents, such as Matts Hummels, also apparently on Louis van Gaal’s radar this summer, perhaps Manchester United could ultimately find themselves a better deal away from the current PSG man.

Coupled with the fact that Laurent Blanc seemingly doesn’t want to let go of one of his most promising young talents either, it seems the high-profile move to bring Marquinhos to the Premier League has somewhat fallen flat for now. As sensational transfer rumours have that uncanny ability to perform dramatic u-turns at the last minute however, maybe this deal isn’t quite as dead as appearances would seemingly make it out to be.

[ad_pod id='ffc-video' align='center']

[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']