Manchester United are reportedly among a host of clubs keeping tabs on Famalicao’s 20-year-old Brazil Under-23 midfielder Gustavo Assuncao.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, Premier League giants Manchester United are monitoring the development of Brazilian midfield prodigy Gustavo Assuncao, who plies his trade for Portuguese outfit Famalicao.
The 20-year-old Gustavo, son of former Atletico Madrid star Paulo Assuncao, started out at the academy of FC Porto, before switching to the Rojiblancos’ youth setup in 2008. Assuncao spent eleven years in the system at Atletico, before signing for Famalicao in the summer last year, in search of first-team football.
Having moved to Portugal, the defensive midfielder quickly established himself as a pivotal member of Joao Pedro Sousa’s side, racking up 37 appearances across all competitions in his debut campaign.
Such rapid has his progression been that Assuncao has been handed the club captaincy this season, despite him being just 20 years old, and has started all of Famalicao’s ten matches in all competitions, contributing with a goal and an assist in the process.
And, Assuncao’s development hasn’t gone unnoticed with a host of clubs from across Europe casting admiring glances towards the midfielder, including Manchester United.
While the Red Devils’ midfield unit is quite packed at the moment, veteran enforcer Nemanja Matic is already 32 years of age and the club will soon need to slowly phase him out of the first-team and put a long-term succession plan in place.
Rennes’ prodigy Eduardo Camavinga has been mooted as a target for the 20-time English champions, but someone like Assuncao could represent a much cheaper alternative, considering that Famalicao could be tempted into a sale for an offer of around €25 million, as per the report.
However, Manchester United will have to battle it out with La Liga outfit Sevilla, who are closely monitoring the midfielder’s situation, while Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, who came close to signing the Brazilian last summer, could also be in contention. In addition, the Red Devils also face competition from clubs much closer to home, with both Everton and Wolves also interested.
Assuncao, who made his debut for Brazil Under-23s last month, is contracted with Famalicao till 2024. However, it is claimed that the midfield enforcer will be on the move either in January or the end of the ongoing campaign. And, it will be interesting to see if Manchester United’s reported interest in the youngster leads to something substantial.