Premier League champions Manchester United are keeping a close eye on the progress made by AS Roma youngsters Valerio Verre and Filippo Cipriani. Sir Alex Ferguson has been alerted to the precocious duo by his Italian scout David Williams and Arsenal and Liverpool are both believed to be aware of the players.
Verre is a cultured midfielder while Cipriani is a stereotypical Italian defender already compared to Azzurri great Alessandro Nesta. The Daily Mai claim the players came to Sir Alex Ferguson’s attention during the Manchester United Premier Cup. The 15-year-olds were two of the outstanding players on show and Williams has been monitoring their progress over the last few weeks.
Roma are eager to sign both players on professional terms but because of Italian legislation neither are able to sign for a Serie A side until their sixteenth birthday, enabling Manchester United to approach the duo should they continue to impress and improve as predicted.
Manchester United previously signed Federico Macheda and Davide Petrucci from under the noses of Lazio and Roma respectively.