One of European football's most exciting young talents, it is now being reported that Manchester United are amongst a number of high-profile club keeping tabs on the 21-year-old Dutch international Frenkie De Jong.
According to the The Sun, United deployed scouts to Paris earlier this month for the Netherlands' Nations League tie with France.
After enduring a relatively quiet transfer window after last season's 2nd placed finish in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho has openly spoken of his desire for Manchester United to enhance their efforts in the market.
With the youngster De Jong - a versatile midfield player - they may have found a potential addition to sate Mourinho's hunger for recruiting fresh faces.
Who is Frenkie De Jong?
Emerging from within the academy of the Dutch Eredivisie club Willem II, De Jong made the move to Ajax in 2015.
Initially plying his trade in the club's reserve team, De Jong made his first-team breakthrough in the 2016/17 season.
Amassing a relatively modest number of appearances, at 20-years-old, Frenkie De Jong did make an appearance off the bench when Ajax met Manchester United in the final of the 2016/17 Europa League.
Coming out second-best that day, De Jong's international breakthrough came in 2018 as the Netherlands faced off against Peru in a friendly match.
Featuring at every level from U-15 upward, he has long been a source of some excitement within Dutch football.
Already touted as a possible signing by Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United's interest may hamper the intentions of both clubs.
While it is known that Spurs have already had a bid for the player rejected, United's productive working relationship with the Dutch club could be a decisive factor.
In Edwin van der Sar, one has the current CEO of Ajax and a former Manchester United player of 6 years. Having already negotiated the transfer of Daley Blind from Ajax to United and back again this summer, such small margins may take on greater importance as the interest in De Jong invariably rises.
