The two clubs had Pereira watched during Porto’s dramatic 3-2 win against Portimonense on Friday evening.

And the 26-year-old certainly caught the eye as he scored the opening goal inside five minutes.

After falling behind, Porto then went on to claim victory with two goals in second-half injury time.

Pereira was a key member of the Portugal side which won Euro 2016 in France and he also helped his club side to second place in the Primeira Liga last year.

According to the Sun, Manchester United and Arsenal are both keen on bringing the defensive midfielder to England.

The Gunners are expecting Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to depart in the January transfer window.

That should bring in a substantial amount of cash which manager Arsene Wenger would be looking to re-invest into his midfield.

United meanwhile, look likely to lose Marouane Fellaini either in the winter window or when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The Belgian has recently rejected an extension at Old Trafford, so boss Jose Mourinho may turn his head to Pereira as a replacement.

The Portuguese international has played just under 100 games for Porto since moving from Maritimo in 2015.

He has been a mainstay in the midfield this campaign as Sergio Conceicao’s side top the league table, four points above Sporting Lisbon.