Copying a successful model from Haiven! Manchester United poach from rival academies, targeting two Liverpool players and signing a Manchester City youngster

United want to boost their first-team depth during the summer window, yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains committed to the academy's "scout-and-hope" approach. According to reports, the club intends to acquire two Liverpool youngsters this summer.

One target is 16-year-old England winger Isaac Konde. United have already opened talks with his agent, aiming to convince him to leave Liverpool and continue his development at Carrington. Discussions between the clubs are also underway.

Konde's teammate, Vincent Joseph, a 16-year-old forward, could also join United. He has already decided to leave Liverpool and was not included in the club's recently announced youth team list.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have also sent scouts to watch Joseph multiple times, but United hope to beat both Bundesliga clubs to his signature.

Although he came through Liverpool's academy, Joseph was a Manchester United fan as a child, giving the Red Devils an edge in the race for his signature.

Both Konde and Joseph joined Liverpool's youth system before the age of nine, signed their first contracts in 2018, and were key members of the U18 squad last season.

United have been consistently poaching talent from rival academies in recent years, starting with Jack and Tyler Fletcher from Manchester City. The twin sons of United legend Darren Fletcher have already made their first-team debuts for the club.

Arsenal's Chido Obi and Aiden Heaven also moved to United. Among them, 19-year-old defender Heaven, signed for just £1 million, is now valued at £26 million (€30 million)—a successful "lottery ticket" for Ratcliffe's academy strategy.

In addition to Liverpool duo Konde and Joseph, United are also negotiating to sign Manchester City youth midfielder David Eze. The England U16 international will leave City this summer. The 16-year-old, a defensive midfielder born in Ireland but representing England, is unrelated to Arsenal's England international Eberechi Eze.

"Football Insider" reports that United's scouts have been highly impressed by Eze's performances. Sources confirm that Eze is also highly rated at Manchester City, who are reluctant to lose such a talent—especially to their local rivals. However, the youngster cannot sign a professional contract with City until he turns 17 next year, giving United a chance to make their own offer.

Furthermore, United are also pursuing Crystal Palace's 15-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Benetton, while football director Jason Wilcox has personally held talks with Leicester City's 16-year-old winger Jeremy Monga.

With the World Cup taking place this summer, United manager Erik ten Hag's first team will give young players opportunities during preseason training and friendlies. 15-year-old Premier League U18 Player of the Season JJ Gabriel could make his debut. United officially announced on Tuesday that they will play a friendly against AC Milan in Wrocław, Poland, on August 15—their final preseason match before the new Premier League season.

United have already confirmed a series of preseason friendlies in Europe starting July 18, against Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Leeds United. Gabriel is expected to feature in at least the early games, and if he performs well, he may get more playing time. Last season, Ten Hag already got to know Gabriel well and invited him to train with the first team.

Gabriel scored 21 goals in 23 games last season. As he was under 15 before the start of the season, he was ineligible for the Premier League and U21 Premier League 2. But next season he will be eligible for all competitions, and when he makes his first-team debut will be a topic of interest for fans. United's reserve team Player of the Year, Tyler Fletcher, will also get more opportunities under Ten Hag in the new season.