Nantes president Waldemar Kita has revealed that he has been given the 'thumbs-up' from Paris Saint-Germain to sign Lucas Moura.

The 25-year-old winger is believed to have his heart set on moving to Manchester United, but there are no indications as yet that a deal is close to being agreed.

PSG are open to offloading the Brazilian, who has not started a single Ligue 1 game yet this season, and now Nantes are trying to convince the player that he is better off staying in France.

"PSG told me 'no problem,' but it is with the player and his agent that things are more complicated," Kita told L'Equipe. "They surely have offers from big clubs but, personally, I think it would be nice if he stayed in France because to leave for abroad in January is always difficult.

"In order to convince, we need direct contact. I was appropriate; I contacted decision-makers at PSG first. Again, they told me 'yes, in principle.' The problem is that things have been dragging on for two to three months with his agent. Things remain open."

Moura moved to PSG from Sao Paulo in 2013.