Manchester United are eyeing moves for highly rated attacking duo Dell and Ziyad Baha, who are both making waves at the ongoing FIFA U17 World Cup, according to Graeme Bailey.
The first team may have taken much of the focus in recent transfer windows, mainly due to their poor form, having failed to finish in the Champions League places in any of the last three seasons.
However, since Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in United, the club have redirected their recruitment approach toward targeting rising prospects, with Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell strongly shaping this shift due to their experience in youth progression at Manchester City and within the Red Bull system.
Under this new recruitment strategy, Man United have already secured multiple exciting prospects – Harley Emsden-James, Enzo Kana-Biyik, and Diego Leon – adding to an academy that was further reinforced last season through the additions of Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi-Martin.
They also have a pre-agreement with Fortaleza for the transfer of Colombia U17 captain Cristian Orozco, who will move to Old Trafford when he turns 18 in July 2026, and remain keen on adding more prospects.
According to Graeme Bailey, the Red Devils are closely monitoring Bahia forward Dell and Real Betis’ attacking starlet, Baha, over their potential transfers to Old Trafford.
For Dell, United have been ‘hugely impressed’ with his performances for Bahia before the U17 World Cup began, while Baha’s displays at the ongoing tournament have also piqued the club’s interest, according to the report.
Exciting prospects
Both players have been in prolific form since the tournament began in Qatar, with Dell netting five goals and Baha netting four.
Interestingly, both Brazil and Morocco clashed in the quarter-finals of the tournament, and both players were on the scoresheet, though Morocco unfortunately lost 2-1 after Dell’s 90+5 winner.
Manchester United have made significant investments in attack in recent seasons that have seen the addition of several big-money signings, including Antony, Sancho, Rasmus Hojlund and most recently Benjamin Sesko.
While reinforcements are needed with more experienced, established players, Ruben Amorim has proven during his time at Sporting CP that he can succeed with young, promising players.
Hence, should United complete the signings of Dell and Baha, the centre-forward duo could save United millions in the future and also hand the coach capable options to bolster United’s attack for years.
