The club want to sign two central midfielders in the new year, one in each transfer window if possible, and are building a shortlist of attainable names.
Carlos Baleba at Brighton is still high on the agenda, yet sources believe there is some concern that Liverpool are weighing up a move of their own.
That possibility would complicate matters for United, who do not want to be caught cold if the Premier League champions do make their play at the end of the season.
Baleba remains an option despite a failed enquiry in the summer, yet the search is widening.
Adam Wharton, Morten Hjulmand and Ederson are all long-standing names on the radar as midfield targets, while Yarmoliuk now fits into a new type of thinking at Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old is viewed as the kind of player who can be moulded and developed, and comes from a club profile United believe is more accessible in the current market.
This is the logic that has already pushed them towards players such as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who were picked up from Wolves and Brentford.
Yarmoliuk’s strong form at Brentford and further potential make him another candidate who could be available at the right moment.
United’s desire to push on with this rebuild has been underlined by record revenues of £666.5m announced this week, even as performances on the pitch remain far from convincing.
The money is there, the need is clear and the midfield revamp is starting soon.
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