Lazio have opened talks with Manchester United over a £30million swoop for Mason Greenwood.
United are now bracing themselves for other clubs to formalise their interest in Greenwood after the Italian club made their move for the forward.
Lazio have a long standing interest in the striker, who spent last season on loan at Getafe, and have now approached their Old Trafford counterparts over a move this summer.
Talks are developing positively over an initial £30million fee that could rise with performance related add-ons, according to well-placed sources.
Lazio are not the only club interested in Greenwood, with Serie A rivals Juventus and Napoli among the clubs keen.
Lazio have opened talks with Manchester United over a £30m swoop for Mason Greenwood
The Manchester United star was loaned out to Getafe for a short six-month stint last campaign
Lazio, who appointed ex-Hellas Verona manager Marco Baroni (above) earlier this month, have been long standing admirers of Greenwood and hope to bring him to the club this summer
Teams in Germany, Spain and Portugal are also interested.
Lazio were initially interested in taking Greenwood on loan last season but the United academy graduate eventually joined Getafe on loan.
But the Rome club have kept abreast of his progress in Spain and have now made their move.
Lazio believe they can provide the platform for Greenwood to take the next positive step in his rehabilitation following his controversial exit from last season amid attempted rape allegations.
The case was eventually dropped by in February 2023.
Lazio are trying to convince Greenwood that their project provides the best chance to continue rebuilding on the progress made at Getafe as opposed to a club like Juve, who have the pressures of Champions League football.
The case into attempted rape allegations against Greenwood was dropped in February 2023
Manchester United, now directed by INEOS and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe (above), launched their own internal investigation into the allegations before loaning out the forward
The club opted to stick by under pressure manager Erik ten Hag (above) following an end-of-season review, with the Dutchman winning the FA Cup despite a poor season in the league
Greenwood and his partner, together with their child, have enjoyed life in Spain away from the UK spotlight. Indeed, the family are keen to move to another European club at a higher level as they continue rebuilding their family life.
He scored eight goals and supplied six assists during his loan spell at Getafe.
Greenwood’s current deal at United expires in 2025, but the club have an option to extend by 12 months.