Paul Pogba has previously claimed Edouardo Camavinga's future is in his hands as the youngster closes on a move to Real Madrid.
The Rennes midfielder is among the most sought after young players in Europe and Manchester United have been linked with his services.
Camavinga only has a year left on his deal with the Ligue 1 side and Los Blancos look to have stolen a march.
Pogba has compared the teenager to himself in the past in what was a glowing review.
Losing out on the player will come as a blow to United, who have been linked with a central midfielder throughout the summer.
The young Frenchman has also been vocal about his admiration for Pogba in the past.
He said: “I am inspired by Paul Pogba, an excellent player who has a huge career.”
The United No 6 has been equally complimentary about his compatriot, whom he has played alongside with Les Blues.
He gave Camavinga a glowing reference when they linked up on international duty last October, saying: “It is a pleasure to see him don the [France] shirt.
“To score after his first start [against Ukraine in a friendly], that is honestly wonderful.
“I was truly happy for him. I only wish him the best and much more. He has everything for that. His future is in his hands.
“He is very at ease, he is a little dancer. He makes me think a bit about me. He is not a timid person.
“It is good, because he is confident. He has confidence in his qualities. He is a very good youngster, I like him enormously.”
Madrid are close to completing a £26.5m move for 18-year-old, who will join straight up with Carlo Ancelotti's squad.
United have also been linked with West Ham's Declan Rice and Ruben Neves of Wolves.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's business looks to have been completed though with confirmation of Cristiano Ronaldo's signing coming on Tuesday morning.
Former United skipper Roy Keane still believes the lack of a new midfielder will hold the club back in the title race despite the capture of the Portuguese star.
He said on Sky Sports: "There's no doubt in my mind he's still a world-class player. We have discussed the pluses and minuses but I see the hunger and the desire there; it's not a pay-day for him.
"He is already worth fortunes. We saw at the Euros he won the Golden Boot, he'll have the incentive of the World Cup.
"He's a clever guy. He's coming back to United to win stuff. I don't think he'll be the difference in terms of winning the big trophies - Man Utd still have the same problems with or without Ronaldo and that's midfield - but an FA Cup or a League Cup is more than possible."
