Manchester United to raid Liverpool's academy as squad reduction reshapes summer recruitment

Manchester United are targeting Liverpool academy players Vincent Joseph and Isaac Konde as part of a selective summer recruitment drive, even as the club scales back its Under-21 programme by withdrawing from two domestic competitions next season.

United have pulled out of the EFL Trophy and the National League Cup with the aim of carrying a leaner squad in their Under-21 group. The decision is designed to sharpen individual development for their best young players and create more opportunities for standout prospects to train with the first team.

Having secured a return to the Champions League, United will enter the UEFA Youth League and continue competing in the Premier League International Cup — a schedule that, club sources say, provides sufficient competitive minutes without the volume of fixtures that previously required a larger squad.

Despite the trimmed programme, United will remain active in the transfer market this summer. Rather than signing broadly to fill squad numbers, they intend to take a more judicious, selective approach — targeting only players they believe can be meaningfully developed within a tighter group.

United were among several clubs tracking Leicester City’s highly sought-after 16-year-old Jeremy Monga, and have now turned attention to the Liverpool pair. Vincent Joseph and Isaac Konde are both on their radar as the club looks to identify the best young talent in the country.

The overarching philosophy, according to academy sources, is quality over quantity — ensuring every player in the age-group setup receives the focused coaching and game time needed to progress, rather than being part of a bloated squad assembled primarily to meet fixture demands.