Manchester United have asked Standard Liege to name their price for Axel Witsel.

The Daily Mail says United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is showing an increasingly strong interest in Witsel and has enquired about his availability and valuation, according to sources close to the Belgian club.

Standard are adamant the 19-year old is worth at least as much as Marouane Fellaini and that he will not be allowed to leave for any less than the deadline-day £15million Everton paid for their record signing.

Ferguson must now decide whether to meet Standard's asking price for Witsel after recently joining a chase headed by Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Arsenal and Bolton.

Such is the level of interest in Witsel, who broke into Standard's starting line-up at just 17, that staff at the stadium struggled to cope with the demand for tickets from Premier League clubs for their meeting with Sevilla.