The Atletico Madrid midfielder, who is seen as a perfect replacement for Paul Pogba.

The French world cup winner expressed his desire to leave last summer and take on new challenge, but a move never materialised and he remains at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been planning for the possibility of life without Pogba, bringing in Bruno Fernandes.

The swaggering Fernandes had an immediate impact on his new club, inspiring them to a run of six wins from nine games. His impressive form also secured him the Premier League player of the month of award for February.

Now that Fernendas has settled in, United are believed to be eyeing their next acquisition to strengthen a midfield lacking in quality compared to their rivals.

Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez is their main target and there is growing confidence within the club that a deal will be completed.

The 25 year old, who has won 19 caps foe Spain, was watched by United scouts as he helped knock Liverpool out of the champions league earlier this month.

With the exceptional of a season-long loan spell at Rayo Vallecano when he was a teenager, Saul has spent his entire career at Atletico Madrid, making almost 300 appearances for the first team.

He is seen as an ideal replacement for Pogba, whose commitment to the club remains in doubt.