Manchester United are facing competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace for Derby County Nigerian young striker Malcolm Ebiowei this summer, metro.co.uk reports.
Ebiowei is expected to exit Derby County during the transfer window after making his Championship debut last season during the club’s doomed attempt to avoid relegation after a 21-point deduction.
The 18-year-old made 16 league appearances, 11 of which were starts, and scored one goal, in a win at Blackpool in April.
He had spent time with Arsenal and Rangers without making the cut, but his breakthrough under Wayne Rooney at Pride Park has seen him catch the eye of bigger clubs.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that United and Palace are leading the race for his signature.
French Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco are also keen but the youngster prefers to move to a Premier League outfit.
Newcastle and Tottenham have also been linked with Ebiowei, so he has plenty of options in front of him as he looks certain to leave Derby over the summer.
Speaking after Ebiowei impressed in 1-1 draw against Coventry in March, Rooney was full of praise for a player he has tipped to have an extremely bright future.
“I thought he was excellent all game, best player on the pitch. It was one of the best performances I have seen from a young player, consistently for 90 minutes, in a long time.
“He deserved that because he has worked extremely hard. His attitude is incredible, he wants to learn and he is an exciting young player.
“First of all, his attitude is very good. He has got an enormous amount of ability, he is brave, he will take the ball, he is not afraid to take players on, to get tackled, to make mistakes. So he has got a really bright future.”
