Manchester United hope to persuade Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen to join them before the new season.
It was thought the 30-year-old would prefer to remain in London after making a successful comeback with Brentford in the second half of last season.
The Bees hoped Eriksen would stay on while it was thought Tottenham Hotspur were also keen to re-sign him.
However a deal has not been agreed with either club, giving United the chance to make an offer for the free agent.
Eriksen had cardiac arrest while playing at Euro 2020 last June but was able to resume his career after being fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).
After being released by Inter Milan – because the ICD device is not permitted in Serie A – Eriksen accepted Brentford’s offer of a six-month contract in January and manager Thomas Frank repeatedly said the Bees wanted to keep the former Ajax playmaker.
