Manchester United have sent scouts to watch several Gent matches this season to run the rule on young striker Jonathan David ahead of a possible summer swoop.
David has scored 22 goals and registered 10 assists in his 32 appearances since breaking into the first team.
The 20-year-old’s prolific record has been likened to Braut Erling Haaland, who joined Borussia Dortmund in January.
However, David’s goalscoring form has come at a level below that of his Norwegian counterpart.
Tuesday’s edition of Belgian newspaper HLN claim David’s dream move is move to play Premier League football at Old Trafford.
But his agent Nick Mavromaros has warned about jumping straight into one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“The progress he’s made since his debut in August 2018 is enormous,” Mavromaros said.
“It is hard to determine where his limits lie. His ultimate goal is to turn out for one of the five best clubs in the world.
“He has been a childhood fan of Barcelona. Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea are just as much part of his dreams, but for the time being we must remain humble: the next step in his career cannot be too big.
“What Jonathan does in the Belgian league is fantastic, but he did not finish the match at AS Roma.
“On Thursday he will have the opportunity to show that he can also be decisive in Europe against major opponents. That must now be his first goal and his next step.”
HLN add that Gent received a January offer, from an unnamed club, for more than €25million (£20m), but turned it down.
Arsenal have also been tentatively linked with the Canadian hitman but that move has been ruled out.
“Take Arsenal. We’ll talk about top five in the Premier League,” Mavromaros added.
“The next step has to be a smart one, so maybe that’s too big a jump at the moment. The whole picture has to be right. In what field does a club play?
“How does the coach feel about Jonathan? How sure is he of a base pitch? An intermediate step might be better sometimes.
“I understand that Gent would still like to keep Jonathan, but the club will also like it Gent got him for zero euros, and he will now leave for a record amount.”
