Manchester United have a third-party agreement with Brazilian football agency Traffic, who part own a number of Brazil's top young players including Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea target Keirrison.
Traffic own two multi-million pound investment funds, rumoured to be worth in the region of $55 million, that have established percentage ownership of around 90 players in Brazil. Reports suggest that eight players part owned by the Brazil based agency moved to Europe last year generating profits upwards of $30 million .
According to reports in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United hierarchy signed a unique deal with Traffic allowing the Old Trafford outfit first refusal on youngsters emerging from a Sao Paulo Academy run by World Cup winner Carlos Alberto Parreira.
The Daily Telegraph's Paul Kelso said:
"Last November United struck a deal with Desportivo Brasil, a youth club owned by Traffic Football Management, that gives Ferguson first option on more than 120 teenagers being groomed for European football in a Sao Paulo academy run by World Cup winner Carlos Alberto Parreira.
"Traffic also wholly or part-owns the economic rights to another 90 or so professionals via two multi-million dollar investment funds founded expressly to profit from the transfer of promising Brazilian players."
United are currently fighting to sign Carlos Tevex from third party MSI, and Sir Alex Ferguson is also in negotiations to sign Dodo from Brazilian club Corinthians, a player part owned by Traffic.
A Manchester United statement in response to the revelations read:
"Our link is with the club so any deal to bring players in would be within FIFA and Premier League rules."