Gustavo Assuncao may not be a name that you’re familiar with.

The Brazilian midfielder currently plays for Portuguese club Famalicao but it seems he could soon be a staple of back page gossip.

Just 20, he is already his club’s captain and has been capped at U23 level by Brazil.

He moved to Famalicao from Atletico Madrid in 2019 and has thrived ever since, making a total of 46 appearances in defensive midfield.

And that has pricked the ears of those in the Premier League.

Sport Witness carries a report from AS, claiming that Manchester United are tracking the youngster, along with Everton and Wolves.

French club Nice and Spanish outlet Sevilla are also said to hold an interest, with the latter’s sporting director, Monchi, having requested information on him.

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Assuncao would cost €25m (£22.5m) in the January transfer window, and it seems a bidding war could erupt.

Per WhoScored, he averages 1.9 tackles per game in Liga NOS, 1.4 interceptions, 2.1 fouls, and 1.4 clearances, along with an impressive 88.5% passing accuracy.

WhoScored also rate his passing as “strong”, while they also claim that he “likes to tackle”.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

This is intriguing.

United have something of a problem in defensive midfield, with Nemanja Matic ageing and Fred rather struggling with his discipline, particularly in midweek against PSG, as he was sent off in the Champions League group stage encounter. 

Bringing in Assuncao would be a positive step; this is a Brazil youth international who is clearly exhibiting leadership qualities, as he is captain before his 21st birthday.

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A deal at a price of around £22.5m is more than affordable for United, particularly for a player who would not expect to start every game.

They could do far worse.