Manchester United have added Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves to their list of transfer targets, according to reports.
The Red Devils spent heavily in the summer, splashing out close to £135m on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
But despite their significant outlay, United dropped out of the Premier League title race early on in the campaign.
Ralf Rangnick, who will occupy the managerial hot seat until the end of the season, has been tasked with leading United into the top four and securing Champions League football.
He is expected to enter the transfer market in January, although United will leave some of their business until next summer.
One area Rangnick is keen to strengthen is in the centre of the park, particularly as Paul Pogba looks set to depart the club as a free agent in the middle of 2022.
Monaco starlet and Aurelien Tchouameni and Amadou Haidara of RB Leipzig have been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks.
But if United opt for a player with Premier League experience, Neves is at the top of their list.
That is according to a report by Fichajes which states that key figures at United have been impressed with the Portuguese’s performances this term.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool are all admirers of the Wolves man, but United could steal a march on the London trio and their arch-rivals in the race for his signature.
Neves is under contract at Molineux until 2024 but is thought to be open to testing himself at a higher level.
Last week Rangnick played down suggestions that he has already drawn up a transfer wish list for January.
But the German did admit that he would turn his attention to the winter window at the end of the busy festive period.
“We haven’t spoken about new players, it’s not the time to think about new players. We have to get to know the players we have currently: the squad is definitely not too small,” he said.
"Maybe after Christmas, there will be a time to talk about possible transfers in the winter. In my experience, winter is not the time for sustainable transfers. It will be difficult in the winter.”
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