This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

According to The Sun, Manchester United are ready to battle Barcelona for the services of Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga.

What's the word?

The 17-year-old has been turning heads across Europe thanks to his incredibly young breakthrough into the first-team at Rennes, and he has already featured 16 times across all competitions this season - including playing the full 90 minutes in his side's shock 2-1 win over PSG back in August.

Now, The Sun claim United are set to take on Spanish giants Barcelona to try and seal a deal for the promising midfielder, and that the Red Devils view him as the "long-term successor to Paul Pogba in the heart of midfield". The report further claims Camavinga has a £25.6m buyout clause currently in effect in his contract.

Statement of intent

Make no mistake about it, if United can secure Camavinga's signing ahead of Barcelona then that really would be a major coup. The Frenchman has been earning rave reviews for his impressive performances in his fledgling career, and was duly named as the youngest player in Ligue 1 history to be named player of the month.

His performance against PSG was particularly note-worthy, especially considering the calibre of opponents he was coming up against in the midfield battle. The French giants had the likes of Marco Verratti, Julian Draxler and Marquinhos patrolling the centre of the park, but Camavinga took the game to them and powered his side to victory.

As per Sofascore, as well as providing an assist, he made three tackles, won ten duels, and had an incredible 97% pass accuracy, whilst Verratti in particular had a night to forget - the Italian was hustled and harried by his young counterpart, losing possession ten times and committing two fouls.

Speaking after the match, his manager Julien Stephan said: "He played a match, indeed, like the whole team - very interesting. We are talking to him. He is someone who is also very well-constructed intellectually, who knows how to question himself, who knows how to ask the right questions."

Stephan's verdict on Camavinga paints a picture of a teenage prodigy who looks to better himself in every player, and it is little surprise to see the likes of Barcelona be interested in him. If United can steal a march on the Catalans, then it would be a major statement of intent indeed.