Ruben Amorim has personally held talks with a transfer target about becoming his first signing as Manchester United manager, it has been reported.
Amorim is preparing to take charge of United for the first time when they travel to Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The Portuguese boss led his first training session on Monday, with the 39-year-old quickly getting work in helping the squad to adapt to his 3-4-3 system.
There were significant early indications of the personnel that could line up against Ipswich or in the coming weeks, with Luke Shaw playing at left centre-back in a full-sided game and Marcus Rashford as the lone striker.
But it is likely that Amorim will want to add further numbers to his squad, with United struggling in 13th place in the Premier League table.
According to Sky Sports in Switzerland, Amorim has identified centre-back Ousmane Diomande as his first transfer target as United boss.
Diomande plays for his former club Sporting Lisbon, and the 20-year-old has long been tracked by fellow Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Newcastle.
It is claimed that while Diomande originally wasn’t particularly keen on a move to Old Trafford in comparison to other clubs, he has now been convinced to ‘lean towards’ joining United after discussions with his former manager.
However, United will face strong competition to land the wonderkid.
Manchester City have also identified Diomande as a ‘priority’ target, as per the same report, and securing his signing could be one of the first tasks for new director of football Hugo Viana once he arrives from Sporting as Txiki Begiristain’s replacement next summer.
The 20-year-old, who is an Ivory Coast international, has a contract with Sporting until 2027 which reportedly contains a £68 million release clause.
Portuguese outlet O Jogo claimed in the summer that the Portuguese giants, who currently lead Liga Portugal in the wake of Amorim’s departure, were willing to accept a lower fee for the defender, though it is unclear whether that would be the case in January as they fight in both the league and the Champions League.