Report: Man Utd preparing £50m offer for Sporting CP talent

Manchester United are reportedly prepared to pay big money to reunite new head coach Ruben Amorim with one of his brightest Sporting CP talents.

Geovany Quenda has been linked with United throughout November following the 17-year-old's whirlwind impact since being promoted to the first-team during the summer.

United's interest in Quenda is believed to pre-date Amorim, but speculation has intensified amid claims that the club want to secure his signature for the summer transfer window "as soon as possible". He couldn’t arrive sooner than April anyway due to his age.

With speculation of Liverpool interest starting to emerge, A Bola writes that United have already "set aside" a package worth €60m (£49.8m), plus add-ons, for Quenda. Although that amount falls short of the youngster's €100m (£83m) release clause contained in a new contacted signed earlier this season, it is an amount the Sporting hierarchy "cannot ignore".

Despite changing manager, United are not expected to engage in any sort of major squad overhaul in a bid to break a decade-long pattern of expensive rebuilding projects.

Instead, Amorim is primarily tasked with unlocking the potential in the existing squad, rather than relying on a host of new players. But recruiting emerging talents like Quenda could be considered an exception due to having long-term potential.

Spending patterns across the wider transfer market have moved away from clubs parting with huge sums for established players, instead preferring to target younger stars yet to hit their peak who can be developed and offer a better return.

United have already shown a willingness to go down that path with the summer capture of 18-year-old Leny Yoro, blowing Real Madrid out of the water to strike a deal for the French defender. This past summer, the club didn't spend more than £20m on any players over the age of 24.

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