After scouting for a year, Manchester United could land 'the next Frenkie de Jong'

Having failed to land midfielder Frenkie de Jong after multiple attempts, Manchester United have instead now found a talented and very young midfielder who is likened to the FC Barcelona star.

Norway's Sverre Nypan is considered to be one of the most promising footballers in Scandinavian football at present, especially after making his presence felt on the big stage by scoring his maiden senior goal last weekend.

Nypan currently plays for Rosenborg, a club based in Trondheim that competes in Eliteserien, Norway's top flight.

Tops clubs from Germany, Belgium chasing Nypan

Manchester United have been scouting the 16-year-old midfielder for a year now and the Red Devils had Nypan on their transfer list even before the teenager broke into his side's first team, according to The Sun.

The Old Trafford club tracked Nypan's progress over the winter during a tournament in Spain. After this, they sent a scout to watch his nation's Under-17 Euro qualifying matches against Croatia and Slovenia, according to Mirror. Manchester United's chief talent spotter for Scandinavia, Tommy Moller Nielsen, was present in the stands during Rosenborg's home game against Odds BK in April, although Nypan, who can also play as a forward, did not make the matchday squad due to a persisting injury.

But it won't be easy for Manchester United to just swoop Nypan away, who is tipped to be the next De Jong for his ability to keep the ball during pressure moments and move his side forward on the pitch with his smooth dribbling. Top clubs from Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium are also keeping a close eye on Nypan's situation at Rosenburg. The teenage sensation has another two years on his contract with the Norwegian club.

Nypan's goal came in Rosenburg's clash with Bodo/Glimt, the Norwegian league leaders. It is also notable that struggling Rosenborg manager Kjetil Rekdal has relied on Nypan during a difficult period for his team, an indication of how highly Nypan is valued at his club.

Sadio Mane to Man Utd?

Ahead of the coming summer market, it has also been reported that Manchester United are interested in signing Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane.

A move to Manchester would be interesting as Mane previously played for their arch-rivals Liverpool FC. The Senegalese forward had a fine run in Merseyside, where he won everything and was also a key member of the Reds' side that won their maiden Premier League title in 2020.

In a bid to accept a new challenge, Mane joined Bayern Munich last summer on a £35.1million deal. However, things have not gone according to the plan for him in Germany. Due to form and fitness issues, Mane has struggled to become a regular at Bayern Munich, with competition from the likes of Sane, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller.

Mane is not a part of Bayern Munich's new boss Thomas Tuchel's long-term plan and the club has decided to offload the former Anfield star at the end of the season, according to Football Insider.

While Liverpool have no plans of re-signing Mane following the arrivals of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, Manchester United and Newcastle United are believed to be interested in the Senegal national's services.

Also, this is not the first time Mane is being linked with the Red Devils. He once revealed in an interview, "I have to say, I was really close to going to Manchester United. I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead, I thought, 'No, I want to go to Liverpool.' I was convinced to go with (Jurgen) Klopp's project. I still remember the first time I got the call from Klopp. He said, 'We have a big project at Liverpool and I want you to be part of it'."

Among other transfer pursuits, Manchester United are planning to revive their interest in Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot. It is widely known that Harry Kane has been one of their top targets, but it has been reported that the English striker's representatives are in talks with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).