Manchester United are among the Premier League sides eyeing a move for a Blackburn Rovers defender, who has recently been branded as the "new Phil Jones".
Once upon a time, Manchester United's recruitment strategy was to sign players from England, rather than looking abroad. Roy Keane came from Nottingham Forest, Wayne Rooney came from Everton, and even Edwin van der Sar came from Fulham. It is a proven strategy.
Now, it seems like United are returning to those ways, at least in some way. Last summer, Director of Football Jason Wilcox prioritised attacking reinforcement and quickly signed Premier League-proven Matheus Cunha, before turning his attention to Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.
Both proved to be expensive additions, but they have made an immediate impact at Old Trafford, with a combined 17 goals and five assists between them this season.
It was not just the Premier League that United signed players from, though. They also looked for quality in the lower leagues. Gary Pallister was from Championship Middlesbrough, Lee Sharpe from Fourth Division Torquay United, and Denis Irwin from Championship Oldham Athletic.
After several years of neglecting this strategy, it seems Manchester United will attempt it once again.
United monitor Blackburn's Atcheson
After monitoring Chris Rigg last season (when Sunderland were in the Championship) and Hayden Hackney for several years, it appears United are looking at another second-division star, which they could look to sign in the summer.
TeamTALK have reported that United are monitoring Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson, who has recently signed a new long-term deal to remain with the Championship side for several years.
Despite the new contract, it seems that United, along with Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Everton, Newcastle United, Sunderland, and Tottenham Hotspur, could still make an offer this summer.
Atcheson made his senior debut for Blackburn in December, but has now established himself as a regular under Martin O'Neill after working closely with former Red Devils centre-back Phil Jones, who is a first-team coach at Blackburn. TeamTALK branded Atcheson as the "new Phil Jones".
Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in Germany, and Atalanta and Napoli in Italy are clubs in Europe that have also been linked to Atcheson.
Blackburn currently sit 19th in the Championship, just six points ahead of 22nd-placed Leicester City.
United's young centre-back talent
Before signing another young defender, it is important to think about the centre-back talent already at the club.
In the first team, there are Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro, both of whom have been starters this season, but have suffered from the change to the back four. Although, they could be starting together against Leeds United if Lisandro Martínez does not return in time, as Harry Maguire is suspended.
Tyler Fredricson and Godwill Kukonki have also been included in first-team squads this season. Fredricson made his debut last campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, but has struggled to feature this campaign after his poor performance against Grimsby Town. Kukonki, who plays more as a left-back currently, has been included in Premier League squads for over 18 months, is still yet to make his senior debut.
In the academy, Daniel Armer and Albert Mills have impressed for Darren Fletcher's under-18s side, playing a key role in helping them to the FA Youth Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Friday, 17 April.
While signing players from the EFL is always good to see, perhaps United should look to prioritise other areas of the squad first.