Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Leon Bailey Rumours Amid Stoke Interest

KRC Genk have reportedly been contacted by Stoke City over the potential purchase of Manchester United target Leon Bailey, with the Belgian club quoting the Potters a fee of at least £17 million for the Jamaican winger.  

United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly been interested in Bailey since he was in charge at Chelsea last season, and the Red Devils have scouted the player in 2016-17, per Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News.

However, it seems Stoke have now made the first active move to sign him, with Napoli, OGC Nice and Bayer Leverkusen also interested in the 19-year-old, per Het Laatste Nieuws' Kristof Terreur:

Bailey recently told HLN that he has "always dreamt of the Premier League" but said he would not move to a major club like United if they could not give him a guarantee of first-team minutes, via Luckhurst.

A club such as Stoke would be much more likely to offer him the kind of playing assurances he desires than United, whose current options on the flanks are numerous.

Bailey is mainly a right-sided player and has impressed so far in 2016-17, particularly in the UEFA Europa League, where he has netted four times in Genk's five group-stage matches, per WhoScored.com.

For United this season, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have all started matches on the right flank.

Bailey is clearly an impressive talent. As can be seen below, he is effective with the ball at his feet and boasts plenty of flair:

However, he would struggle to earn a place as a regular starter in United's current squad, and he may view Stoke as a preferable destination if he is to continue his career in the Premier League.

If the Old Trafford outfit are still keen to sign Bailey—and they could afford the quoted £17 million fee—they will now have to persuade him that he will have better prospects at United than at Stoke or elsewhere.