Manchester United Target Liverpool Prospect Vincent Joseph

For more than 60 years, Manchester United and Liverpool have refused to deal directly in the transfer market. The rivalry runs too deep, the politics too tangled.

But the walls are thinner at academy level. And United are again testing them.

United circle as Joseph edges towards Liverpool exit

In 2021, United persuaded Ethan Ennis to turn his back on a contract offer from Liverpool and head down the M62 to Carrington. It was a rare, pointed victory in the talent war between the two clubs. Ennis is still on United’s books, learning the hard way with loans at Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood Town.

Now they are trying to repeat the trick.

According to The Secret Scout, Liverpool’s 16-year-old striker Vincent Joseph “looks set to leave” Anfield after being omitted from the club’s latest list of scholars. For a player of his profile, that omission speaks loudly.

United, The Secret Scout reports, “hold strong interest” in Joseph. Scouts and analysts have been drawn to his frame and his presence: a physically advanced No 9 who links play as well as he finishes. At youth level, that combination is rare. At elite level, it is gold dust.

The England U16 international has already stepped above his age group, making two appearances in the U18 Premier League last season and scoring three goals. Small sample, big impact. Enough to ensure his name is now circulating across Europe’s talent departments.

The Secret Scout summed it up bluntly: “Interesting to see where he ends up. Not many top number 9s around. He will be in demand.”

They are not alone in that assessment.

Bayern and Dortmund join the chase

United are not having this conversation with Liverpool in a quiet corridor. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have also sent scouts multiple times to watch Joseph, underlining just how far his reputation has travelled at a very early stage.

Bayern’s presence hints at how highly he is rated. Dortmund’s interest fits their long-standing model: identify high-upside teenagers, give them a pathway, then watch them explode on the biggest stage.

For Joseph, that creates a crossroads. Stay in England with a club trying to rebuild its academy-to-first-team pipeline, or head to Germany, where the road from youth football to senior minutes can be more direct?

United, with Champions League football secured and a new regime under INEOS pushing to sharpen recruitment, believe they can make a compelling case.

INEOS eye youth as well as marquee names

The pursuit of Joseph is not an isolated move. It forms part of a broader push to refresh United’s talent base beneath the first team.

United and Bayern are also among the clubs who admire Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong. The 20-year-old, a towering presence at the back, has appeared on United’s radar, as recently relayed by The Peoples Person.

Chelsea’s stance, though, is firm. The London club are understood to have rejected approaches from several unnamed sides and view Acheampong as untouchable. That alone tells you how highly they rate him.

Much has been said about INEOS wanting statement signings now that United are back in the Champions League. Big names, big fees, big headlines. But the interest in Joseph and Acheampong points to a dual-track strategy: secure ready-made quality for today, and quietly lock in high-ceiling prospects for tomorrow.

The marquee signings will dominate the back pages. The academy raids might end up defining the next decade.