Manchester United and Liverpool are both monitoring Udinese star Simone Pafundi.
The 16-year-old made his Udinese debut last season, becoming the first player born in 2006 to play in the Serie A. The attacking midfielder is already attracting the interest of multiple clubs around Europe.
That’s according to The Sun, who list Manchester United, Liverpool, Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Real Madrid as interested parties.
Pafundi was recently invited by Roberto Mancini to train with the Italian senior side, due to his exceptional talent and potential.
Despite standing little chance of breaking into a Premier League first-team as it stands, we often see the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool poaching young talents from around Europe.
Rather than waiting for the players to become established, naturally increasing their market value, signing them on the cheap is a risk many clubs take. Although it presents a risk due to their age, the reward if it pays off is monumental.
Manchester United and Liverpool have both implemented this strategy in recent years, with the former signing Alejandro Garnacho from Atletico Madrid, and the latter signing Harvey Elliot from Fulham.