United face red-hot race with PL rival for Bellingham-beating wonderkid – report

Manchester United are eager to reinforce their midfield and are working hard to identify the right man for the job. In a little over six weeks the January transfer window opens but it is not a given that the Red Devils will make a move mid-season, possibly preferring to keep their powder dry until the summer. List of options It is expected that the club will at some point spend big on a solution to their lack of depth in the middle of the park, and the likes of Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba are frequently mentioned. Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is another name in the frame, and away from the Premier League United are keeping close tabs on Angelo Stiller of Stuttgart and Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher. Reports broke in Italy over the weekend that the Red Devils have also taken an interest in Olympiacos starlet Christos Mouzakitis, who won this year’s Golden Boy Web Award. This catapulted him into the plans of many top clubs, as he saw off competition from established superstars such as Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler to pick up the gong which last year went to Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz. United v Brighton for Mouzakitis The story has now been picked up by The Sun, who claim that United are one of two Premier League sides leading the charge for the Greek 18-year-old, along with Brighton and Hove Albion. The Seagulls have an incredible track record of picking up lesser-known talents and turning them into superstars, and seem particularly good at targeting midfielders. Moises Caicedo switched to Chelsea for £115m, and Baleba is expected to move for similar money. He is one of the key names being mulled over by United, so Brighton’s interest in Mouzakitis could be an indication that they are preparing for life without the Cameroonian. According to The Sun, both United and Brighton have been monitoring the teenager for over a year. The Seagulls may have an advantage, having already done a deal with Olympiacos for academy graduate Babis Kostoulas who joined in the summer. Asking price revealed The Sun claim that Mouzakitis “will not be sold for less than £40m”, but that his price is “likely to increase” by January. This is a bargain fee compared to the rumoured £100m that Nottingham Forest want for Anderson, but there is considerable risk in spending big on a teenager who has had one outstanding season in Greece. Mouzakitis is contracted to Olympiacos until 2029 so the club will be in no rush to sell, and given the number of teams keen on securing his services a bidding war may well ensue. While The Sun today focus on United and Brighton, they note that Arsenal, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Juventus, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid are all also keen. Featured image Diogo Cardoso via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Joe Ponting Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.