Manchester United have been informed leading managerial candidate Erik ten Hag will be available for as little as £1.6million compensation this summer.
The current Ajax coach is one of the leading candidates to become the Old Trafford club’s next full-time boss at the end of the season.
And it is understood United chiefs made enquiries as to how much it will cost to release Ten Hag from his contract from the Amsterdam club.
Those conversations are understood to have taken place at the end of last week.
It is believed Ajax would be due €2million (£1.6million) for Ten Hag, who signed a new two year contract with the Dutch club last summer.
However, Ajax would also demand compensation for any staff Ten Hag decides to bring with him from Amsterdam which would push the total package closer to the £2million mark.
The comparatively small compensation fee to lure Ten Hag would not prove preventative for United should they decide the 52-year-old is the man they want to replace interim boss Ralph Rangnick ahead of next season.
But while, United’s interest in Ten Hag is concrete having held formal talks with the highly-rated coach last month, the Premier League club are determined to complete a thorough recruitment process before deciding on their first-choice candidate.
Mauricio Pochettino is the other main contender to take the helm at United this summer.
The Paris Saint Germain boss is expected to leave the French club at the end of the season regardless of how their campaign ends, with Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte among the managers interesting the Ligue 1 side.
Pochettino’s experience of the Premier League with Tottenham and Southampton could yet give him the advantage in the race.
But United will hold an extra round of talks with the candidates before moving to appoint their next boss.