Jadon Sancho could join Paris Saint-Germain on a loan with an obligation to buy after negotiations between the French club and Manchester United.
The two clubs are attempting to unlock a deal that could also see midfielder Manuel Ugarte move in the opposite direction to Old Trafford.
Talks have been ongoing for weeks, and it is understood that even Marcus Rashford has been raised, due to the French club’s long-standing interest.
While the more recent English international moving to the French capital currently looks unlikely, there is hope that the two clubs can strike a deal. United see a midfielder as the position they most need, with Ugarte long seen as a primary option.
The primary issue has been how close the Premier League club are to Profit and Sustainability limits, but it is hoped that can partly be aided by discussions with PSG themselves.
The French champions faced Sancho in last season’s Champions League semi-finals, where he had an individual career performance.
And they are now open to a deal, which could see United remove wages of around £250,000 a week. Sancho himself is willing to join PSG.
The exact structure of any deal is some way off, but progress would see United advance on Ugarte.
Erik ten Hag is personally keen on the 23-year-old Uruguayan, who has similarly been raised as a hugely promising option by the club’s new recruitment hierarchy.
Rashford had a difficult year at Old Trafford and did come up in talks, but he wants to knuckle down at his boyhood club, with United still seeing him as a totem of the club as a youth graduate.
Now 26 years of age, Rashford is only two seasons removed from hitting a 30-goal campaign, though a poor year for himself and the club last term contributed to him missing out on the Euro 2024 squad with England.
As for Ugarte, the Uruguay international only moved to Paris a year ago from Sporting CP, for around €60m (£51.5m), but he failed to establish himself as a key starter for Luis Enrique and only started three of PSG’s final seven league matches.
He has won over 20 caps for the national team and was a regular at the Copa America this past summer, with Uruguay finishing third at the competition after losing to Colombia in the semis. French media have reported he – along with two teammates – was left out of training at the Ligue 1 club on Tuesday amid potential developments on transfer feals.