Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has encouraged Chelsea to make a move for him in January.
ESPN says Chelsea, United and even Liverpool are all interested in a move for De Jong and a deal could be explored when the January window opens.
Chelsea, in particular, are believed to have received indications that the 25-year-old would be open to a move to west London in the coming months.
It was previously reported that De Jong would have favoured a move to Chelsea over United last summer due to the luxury of Champions League football - despite an excessive push from Erik ten Hag.
The United boss phoned De Jong on a number of occasions to try and entice him into the move but his former star was determined to fight for his place with Spanish giants Barca.
Ex-Ajax technician De Jong has only started five matches for Barcelona this season and his future could now lie elsewhere.