Manchester United eyeing £21.5m World Cup talent likened to Christian Eriksen

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Manchester United have reportedly joined Liverpool in the race for Morocco international Bilal El Khannouss.

According to Football Transfers, the Red Devils are targeting the Genk talent in the January transfer window.

This comes as Man United, under new partial owners INEOS, are apparently looking to revamp their transfer strategy by focusing on signing future prospects.

Both the Red Devils and their Premier League rivals have been closely monitoring El Khannouss and think he can grow into a key player in future, claimed the report.

The 19-year-old has already made 76 competitive appearances for Genk, registering four goals and 10 assists for his club.

El Khannouss is also at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco this month, having also featured at the 2022 World Cup.

He is a versatile player who primarily operates as an advanced playmaker but can also feature at No. 8 and on the flanks.

FT’s report likened El Khannouss to Man United and Denmark star Christian Eriksen, and claimed Genk want €25-€30million (£21.5-25.5million) for him.

Bilal El Khannouss a top talent but Manchester United unlikely to get opportunity to sign him in January – TBR View

As with most other Premier League clubs, FFP constraints mean the Red Devils have been quiet in the January transfer window.

However, if Man United manage to shift one or two players, then a deal for El Khannouss could be done, added the report.

El Khannouss looks like a top talent who has a bright future in the game. To feature at the World Cup and an Africa Cup of Nations – as well as making over 50 club appearances – by age 19 is no mean feat.

Admittedly, the likelihood is that he’ll stay put at Genk and then reassess his future in the summer transfer window, at which point FFP shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it is this month.

Nevertheless, let’s see what happens in the coming days. It’s been a pretty quiet transfer window but who knows whether any dominoes could start falling and there’s a chance this deal could move forward.