Manchester United are confident they can clinch a £25million deal to sign Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff this summer.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer intends to build on the £15m capture of Daniel James from Swansea by securing the services of Longstaff, as part of his Old Trafford rebuild.
Although Toon midfielder Longstaff pledged his future to Newcastle in an interview earlier this month, United are confident they can land the 21-year-old.
And the uncertainty at Newcastle, with a proposed takeover imminent and the future of boss Rafa Benitez up in the air, is not thought to be an obstacle to United's pursuit of Longstaff.
Longstaff, 21, made 11 successive starts for Rafa Benitez's side last season, before he damaged knee ligaments against West Ham on March 2, which ended his season.
Despite that setback, Solskjaer had seen enough of Longstaff to convince him the 21-year-old fitted the profile of the kind of player he wants at United.
United are moving away from a policy of signing established stars for exorbitant fees, in favour of young, primarily home-grown talents whom they can develop.
Wales international James, 21, was the first of those signings, penning a five-year deal worth £70,000-a-week, and Longstaff could soon join him at United.
United remain in the hunt for a central defender, with Ajax's Matthijs De Ligt and Leicester's Harry Maguire their principal targets.
United are also hopeful of signing Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, despite having rejected an opening bid of £40m for the England Under-21 star.