Manchester United accelerate move for wonderkid dubbed 'the next Martin Odegaard': report

Manchester United’s evolving transfer policy under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos team will see the club place a bigger emphasis on uncovering the game’s best young talent.

While the club spent £200 million bringing in five new first-team players this summer in an effort to rebuild following last season’s eighth-place Premier League finish, deals have also been done at youth level. One Crystal Palace youth star has already joined this week.

Highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder Sekou Kone joined from Guidars FC last month, as did former Arsenal starlet Chido Obi Martin, as the club look to move away from signing big-name players on massive wages in the near future.

Manchester United chasing wonderkid Sverre Nypan in exciting deal

Another teenager to be linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months is 17-year-old Norwegian prospect Sverre Nypan, who has impressed at Rosenborg over the past two seasons.

The midfielder does not turn 18 until December, but he already has more than 50 club appearances and ten goals to his name, which has made him of Europe’s most intriguing prospects.

The Red Devils had been linked with a summer 2025 move for the teen after moving ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for the Norway under-21 international, who has been compared to both Martin Odegaard and Frenkie de Jong. 

But GiveMeSport now report that the club have been ’so impressed’ with the starlet’s form that they are ready to move for him in January and bring him to the club sooner than originally anticipated.

Post-Brexit rules mean that players cannot be signed from overseas before turning 18, so January’s transfer window would present the first opportunity to land him, although they would likely loan him back to Rosenborg for the rest of the season so that he could continue his development in a familiar environment.

FourFourTwo placed the youngster in our list of 2024's most exciting teenagers at No.24, noting “Nypan reads the game beautifully, accelerates with purpose through the centre of the pitch and can pick a pass, to boot. 

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“To have put his club on his back is what impresses most, though. Nypan has all the talent of a top-level No.8 – and seemingly the mental strength to match.”

Nypan is valued at €11million by Transfermarkt, a figure that has more than doubled over the past 12 months, so in FourFourTwo’s opinion, if Manchester United are serious about doing a deal for the prospect, they shouldn’t wait any longer.