Manchester United are moving to strengthen their ranks below the first team by poaching talent from Liverpool and Manchester City.

Manchester United seem determined to once again assemble the finest young talent in the country, with the Red Devils close to completing a triple signing involving players from their two fiercest rivals.

According to the BBC, the club is finalising a deal for Liverpool’s 16-year-old forward Isaac Konde, while also working on the arrivals of Manchester City duo David Eze and Karim Cassim.

Konde, 16, featured six times for Liverpool’s Under-18 side last season and is understood to be recognised for his pace and close control. He is expected to join Darren Fletcher’s Under-18 setup once the move is completed.

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s chase for City pair Eze and Cassim is also said to be nearing completion.

Both players, aged 16, are primarily central midfielders and have reportedly been tracked by their prospective new club for a while, according to the BBC’s Simon Stone.

The club are clearly making a deliberate push to prise away highly rated prospects from Premier League rivals, having earlier brought in striker Chido Obi and defender Ayden Heaven from Arsenal.

In both instances, the former Arsenal youngsters quickly went on to make their first-team debuts, with Heaven now viewed as a senior option under Michael Carrick.

Manchester United have long been seen as a club with a proud academy tradition and a reliable route into the first team.

The celebrated ‘Class of 92’ remains the standout example, with several members of that FA Youth Cup-winning group going on to play major roles under Sir Alex Ferguson in the years that followed.

Manchester United still hold one of the most extraordinary records in world sport, having included at least one homegrown academy graduate in every first-team matchday squad for more than 88 years.