Manchester United have secured their first signing of the summer after a deal was agreed to take Espanyol midfielder Arnau Puigmal to Old Trafford once the transfer window opens.

Reports in Spain have claimed that a deal for the 16-year-old has been agreed, with Puigmal set to swap Espanyol’s Cadete A for the United academy, with his current reputation ranking him as one of the brightest talents in Spanish football.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, United have already reached an agreement with Puigmal that involves a lucrative contract and as well as a plan for him to develop into a first-team player in the future at United, with the club moving early in the year in an effort to close the gap that has opened up between their academy and the state-of-the-art complex at rivals Manchester City.

Although City’s academy transfer ban only includes players from other English league clubs, United will feel they have stolen a march on their rivals by securing Puigmal’s signature, with a deal set to be confirmed by the club in the next few weeks.

Puigmal’s exit is a blow for Espanyol, who hoped he would develop with the La Liga side and break into their first team at a relatively young age, having been with the club’s academy since 2010 after joining from Sant Cugat, located to the north-west of Barcelona.

Manchester United summer transfer targets Show all 8 1 /8 Manchester United summer transfer targets Manchester United summer transfer targets Ivan Perisic, Inter Milan United want to spend £35m on Perisic but Inter are holding out for closer to £50m. That said, Mourinho is a big fan and may be willing to go the extra mile to get him. Likelihood: 7/10 Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Renato Sanches - Bayern Munich Sanches was being chased by United before deciding on Bayern Munich last summer but is back on their radar again 12 months later. He is available for £43m and Ancelotti has admitted United are "a possibility". Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Fabinho - Monaco An extremely versatile player Mourinho sees him more as a defensive midfielder and could be used to give Paul Pogba, last summer's big addition, more freedom. Monaco aren't in any rush to lose any more first team stars this summer though and are likely to demand a hefty fee. Likelihood: 7/10 AFP/Getty Images Manchester United summer transfer targets Eric Dier - Tottenham United have already had a bid less than £25m rejected for the defensive midfielder and know they must more than double it to have any hope of signing Dier, who is understood to want the move. Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Nemanja Matic - Chelsea Nemanja Matic has twice worked under Jose Mourinho before and he wants to make it a third time at United. However, after beating Chelsea to Romelu Lukaku, relations between the two clubs have been soured somewhat. Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Gareth Bale - Real Madrid The Real Madrid forward would be a marquee signing, the type that the Manchester United boardroom are keen to make, and The Independent has been told by sources from both United and Madrid that a deal is 'much likelier' than ever before. The player himself though is happy in the Spanish capital. Likelihood: 5/10 Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Willian - Chelsea Mourinho is a huge admirer of Willian, who he signed in 2013 while at Chelsea. The pair won a Premier League title and League Cup double together the following year and it is believed that the United manager will do his best to sign the player, who has not been a regular starter in Antonio Conte’s system. Whether Chelsea will allow him to leave, particularly to join Mourinho at their rivals is yet to be seen. Likelihood: 4/10 Getty Manchester United summer transfer targets Andrea Belotti - Torino Another of Europe’s most promising players, Belotti is fast becoming well-known after his outstanding performances at Torino, where he has scored 37 goals in 64 appearances since 2015. His best years are still ahead of him aged just 23, which contributes to the incredible €100m release clause, applicable only to clubs outside of Italy, negotiated into his contract. Torino are in no hurry to sell and will drive a hard bargain with any deal likely to start at upwards of £70m. Likelihood: 7/10 Getty

The central midfielder boasts a strong physicality to his game and is capable of getting himself on the scoresheet, having found the back of the net in the Mediterranean International Cup final against Barcelona, winning the accolade of Most Valuable Player at the tournament in the process.