Man Utd 'would be willing to go all out' with £78m bid for target, Ten Hag has asked for 'financial effort'

Manchester United are assessing their options ahead of the January transfer window as they look to bring in new personnel to aid their Premier League push in the second half of the season.

While the Red Devils have mostly been linked to tried, tested and more senior players, a new report has emerged with an interesting connection to an up and coming talent. Fichajes has reported that United are interested in signing Estevão Willian, a 16-year-old winger from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.

There isn't much information out there on the teenager who is nicknamed 'Messinho', but he is 'considered one of the best football prospects in the world' right now, and plenty of clubs are said to be monitoring him.

The report from Fichajes claims that Real Madrid are the main runners for Estevão's signature but they could be thwarted by United, who 'would be willing to go all out' to sign the teenager and table an offer of 'more than €90 million (£78m)' to Palmeiras.

Erik ten Hag is said to be 'aware' of the youngster's potential and 'would have asked Old Trafford for a significant financial effort to achieve his signing.'

Estevão took on the nickname Messinho due to similarities in his playing style to that of Lionel Messi's, who is his idol. However, the amount quoted for his signature is beyond an amount that the likes of Real Madrid or other interested parties would be willing to pay for a 16-year-old.

Of course, not all transfer rumours have a great deal of truth behind them and while the link between United and Estevão has surfaced, it's certainly worth taking with a pinch of salt. The Premier League is famous for snapping up young players and helping them blossom into world beaters, but even the most high-spending clubs likely wouldn't entertain the hefty transfer fee reported for such a young player.

Estevão doesn't have a Transfermarkt rating just yet either, meaning there is little to know about how much he is truly worth and what he is capable of turning into.