Manchester United have now held first talks over a move for Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat, and they are currently monitoring the midfielder "very closely", according to the latest update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.
What's the latest Man United transfer news?
Man United remain interested in signing Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, and they are currently waiting to confirm some outgoings before pursuing a move for the 19-year-old, who is also being targeted by the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Another midfielder who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford is Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni, amid the Frenchman's uncertain future at the Bernabeu, owing to the recent arrival of England international Jude Bellingham.
Erik ten Hag believes the Real Madrid man would be the ideal candidate to slot into his midfield, but the deal would not be cheap, with the president of the La Liga club, Florentino Perez, not willing to settle for a fee of less than €80m (£69m).
Amrabat could be a low-cost alternative to Tchouameni, with it recently being reported that Ten Hag has made the Fiorentina star his top target, and a deal is now on the cards for the low fee of around just £20m.
Plettenberg has since offered another update on United's pursuit of the midfielder on Twitter, claiming they are monitoring him "very closely" with a view to getting a deal done this summer, and the move could become a "hot topic" later in the window.
The move is not advanced at the moment, but first talks have already taken place, with Bayern Munich also being named as potential suitors, however, there is no "concrete" interest from the Bundesliga champions at this stage.
How good is Sofyan Amrabat?
The 26-year-old made a name for himself out in Qatar at last year's World Cup, with journalist Amine El Amri heaping praise on the Morocco star for some of his performances, saying:
"Sofyan Amrabat is a great footballer in addition to being a raging bull. I’m trying to be as objective as I can, but I think he’s been the best midfielder in this World Cup.
“I have nothing but respect for guys like Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Rodrigo De Paul and many others, but I think he’s been absolutely the best player in midfield in this World Cup.”
It was a fantastic tournament for Morocco, who made it all the way to the semi-finals, with their central midfielder particularly impressing against Spain in the round of 16, making four tackles and winning all seven of the ground duels he contested.
However, the Morocco international has not been quite as impressive for Fiorentina, recording an average WhoScored match rating of just 6.46 in the Serie A last season, only the 23rd-highest figure in the squad.
As such, you could say there are doubts over whether Amrabat would improve Manchester United's midfield, so even though he will be available for the low fee of just £20m, Ten Hag should probably look at pursuing other options this summer after already bringing in Mason Mount from Chelsea.