Manchester United send scouts to watch West Ham youngster Reece Oxford

Manchester United have stepped up their interest in West Ham starlet Reece Oxford who has made a name for himself in the centre-half but can also be deployed in midfield. The 17-year-old caught the eye when he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal at the Emirates and held his own against Mesut Ozil in the middle of the park. The Hammers won the game 2-0, thanks to Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate.

The Mirror reports that Jose Mourinho has sent scouts to watch the player with the England U-19s in the European Championships against the Netherlands on Friday, 15 July. The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of the player and are willing to make one more attempt to sign him this summer. He has two years left on his current contract and is yet to pen a long-term deal with the Hammers.

Liverpool are also interested in signing the player and have made preliminary enquires with the London-based club for the versatile prospect. Jurgen Klopp is known for his propensity to give youth a chance and would revel at the prospect of having someone as precocious as Oxford under his stewardship.

The Red Devils have already completed three signings thus far in the window, in the form of Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Mourinho is also on the case of Paul Pogba and is willing to break the world record transfer fee to sign the Frenchman from Juventus. Pogba left United in 2012 under Sir Alex Ferguson after being miffed at the unavailability of first team football.

Mourinho is set to reshuffle his squad with four players likely to depart after failing to make the grade under Mourinho. Juan Mata, Marcos Rojo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Daley Blind are the players reportedly on their way out. The Red Devils begin their Premier League campaign against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, 13 August, dates of which are subject to change depending on the TV schedules.