Manchester United is ready to test Fulham's resolve with a £25-million offer for teenager Ryan Sessegnon, reports the Guardian's Ed Aarons.
Although the 17-year-old began his career as a left-back, he has since emerged as a dynamic goal-scoring threat further up the pitch. Gareth Bale took a similar path on his way to greatness, ditching his past as a full-back to become an effective inverted winger.
Sessegnon put the rest of Europe on notice with his hat-trick performance in the Championship side's 5-4 victory over Sheffield United last month.
United has apparently joined Tottenham and Real Madrid in pursuit of the English youth international, sending scouts to monitor Sessegnon's progress.
Madrid has "watched the defender on several occasions," Aarons added.
Fulham reportedly values the player at £30 million, but the prospect of a bidding war could see that figure rise.
If United were to secure Sessegnon's services, manager Jose Mourinho is more likely to allow Luke Shaw to leave the club. Despite clawing his way back from relative obscurity, the 22-year-old defender has made just one Premier League start this season.
Shaw has failed to live up to his own £30-million price tag. He suffered a double leg fracture in 2015 and has yet to build on his previous success at Southampton.
Mourinho openly criticised Shaw's fitness and ambition during his first year in charge of the Red Devils.
