New Man Utd twist as signing of 'next Alexander Isak' now 'likely'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 18 Nov 2025 17:35 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Manchester United are still interested in signing young AIK striker Kevin Filling, and the Premier League is his 'most likely' destination.

The 16-year-old has been making waves in his native Sweden this year. Despite his youth, Filling has already made nine senior appearances for AIK, scoring twice. He has also netted twice in three outings for Sweden's U18s.

AIK previously produced Liverpool superstar Alexander Isak, which has naturally led to comparisons between the two, but Filling still has a long way to go before he can match the Premier League star.

Nevertheless, it was recently suggested that the wonderkid could already be on his way to England's top flight. Sky Germany reported a couple of weeks ago that Man Utd had begun exploring a move.

A poorly-worded tweet from reporter Florian Plettenberg, in which he made it seem like Filling could join in January, led to widespread reports that Man Utd are not actually interested, as the youngster wouldn't be able to move to the UK until he turns 18.

Man Utd still keen on Filling

However, Sky Germany has now provided an update on the situation and clarified its initial reporting. The outlet states that Borussia Dortmund are now also interested in Filling, but that a move to the Premier League remains the most likely scenario for January.

Of course, Filling wouldn't actually head to England in the winter. Instead, it would be a similar deal to the one Tottenham made with Luka Vuskovic in 2023. Because the defender was too young to move to the UK, he was loaned to Radomiak in Poland and Westerlo in Belgium.

Plettenberg insists that Man Utd remain interested in signing Filling, but he acknowledges that there is still no agreement between the Red Devils and AIK. It was previously mooted that the youngster could command a fee in the region of €3 million.

Filling, for his part, seems to be calm about his future and has suggested that he would be happy to stay at AIK for another season. He recently outlined his ambitions for 2026 and stated that he wants to become a regular starter for the Stockholm club.

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