Manchester United are the latest team to show an interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain's teenage sensation Warren Zaire-Emery, according to a report.
Regarded as one of the brightest midfield prospects in world football, the 17-year-old has already become a regular fixture in the PSG XI since becoming their youngest-ever player in August 2022.
Zaire-Emery was just 16 years, four months and 29 days old when he made his Parisiens debut last season, and he now boasts three goals and five assists from 45 games for the French champions.
The 2006-born starlet also holds the honour of being PSG's youngest-ever goalscorer at 16 years, 10 months and 25 days, and he has demonstrated his versatility by playing as a right wing-back as well as a central midfielder.
Zaire-Emery has largely featured as a number eight in the opening stages of the 2023-24 season, scoring one goal and setting up five more in 12 matches, netting a long-range thunderbolt in his side's 3-2 win over Brest last weekend.
© Reuters
The midfielder's exploits at club level have seen him rewarded with the France Under-21s captaincy by Thierry Henry, and he is believed to be garnering interest from a host of Europe's elite teams.
According to 90min, Man United are one of a handful of clubs keeping tabs on Zaire-Emery's displays, alongside arch-rivals Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Zaire-Emery signed his first professional contract last summer, and those terms are due to expire in the summer of 2025, but the report adds that PSG are still confident of tying him down to fresh terms.
An agreement in principle is already thought to be in place, and Zaire-Emery's renewal will see the Frenchman become one of the best-paid teenage footballers on the continent.
Furthermore, Zaire-Emery himself is not believed to be considering an exit from the Parc des Princes at this juncture, as he is hoping to force his way into Didier Deschamps's Euro 2024 squad by continuing in the same vein with PSG.
© Reuters
As such, Man United will likely need to focus their midfield search elsewhere as Erik ten Hag seeks to bolster an ailing engine room, which he did over the summer with the loan signing of Sofyan Amrabat.
The Red Devils have the option to make the 27-year-old's deal permanent next summer, but he has struggled to make an immediate impression at Old Trafford, where he has also been deployed as a left-back in his earliest weeks at the club.
Fred and Zidane Iqbal were both allowed to seek pastures new ahead of the 2023-24 season, and Man United are also facing uncertainty over the future of Scott McTominay, who was heavily linked with a departure over the summer.
Newcastle United are thought to be weighing up a January move for the Scotland international as a replacement for the banned Sandro Tonali, but Man United would not be expected to sanction a mid-season exit.
However, Dutch outcast Donny van de Beek should be on the move in 2024, and the Red Devils are also said to be keeping a close eye on Royal Antwerp's Arthur Vermeeren and AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders.