Manchester United are thought to be in advanced talks to sign Watford teenager Harry Amass, according to The Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella.
The Lowdown: Takeover chaos
The major news from Old Trafford over the last 24 hours has been related to a potential takeover.
Second bids from Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe were thought to be made prior to the 9pm deadline on Wednesday, however, it has emerged that both have in fact asked for more time to submit their new proposals. That has been granted, with The Daily Mail claiming that ‘no new deadline has been set but the offers are now likely to be made Thursday or Friday’.
Despite this, another update came out of Old Trafford on Wednesday, which now appears to have gone under the radar slightly.
The Latest: Amass news
Kinsella of The Evening Standard shared a transfer story on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the deadline needed to be met for second offers at United.
He said that the Red Devils are set to beat Chelsea in the race for Amass, who is currently on the books at Watford. An attacking left-back, Amass ‘believes that training in a top academy will further his development more quickly rather than remaining in the Championship’.
The 16-year-old is set to be welcomed at United, with the player tracked by England’s biggest clubs for two years.
The Verdict: Academy coup?
The Red Devils are known for developing young stars at Carrington and giving them the chance to star in the first team, with Marcus Rashford a prime example of that in recent years.
Alejandro Garnacho has also enjoyed a breakthrough 12 months in Manchester, with the club using a homegrown player in every matchday squad for an incredible 85 years in more than 4,000 successive fixtures.
Therefore, Amass could be well aware of potential first-team opportunities down the line at Old Trafford, and he could well be an academy coup given that he has been monitored by England’s biggest clubs since 2021.
He is an England U16 international and has already made a Watford first-team matchday squad at the age of 15, so could end up proving to be a possible long-term replacement for Luke Shaw in years to come.
It looks as if he is on the verge of becoming a United player, so his development over the coming seasons could be one to keep an eye on, providing a transfer to Carrington goes through over the coming months.