The Red Devils sacked former manager Ruben Amorim last Monday before replacing him with interim boss Darren Fletcher, who has since stepped down to allow Michael Carrick to take over this week.
Carrick will lead the side until the end of the season before a permanent manager is instilled.
Links to several top coaches have been made and now, according to reports, De Zerbi is high on the United board’s priority list.
De Zerbi guided Brighton to a club-record 6th-place finish in the 2022/23 Premier League, qualifying for European competition for the first time.
He also reached the FA Cup semi-final that same season and helped the side top their Europa League group whilst also reaching the Round of 16.
De Zerbi seems an obvious choice given his similar stance to youth development when compared to United. The Italian integrated youth heavily, with Brighton giving significant minutes to U21 players and debuting several young talents.
The Daily Mail claim that the 46-year-old would like to return to the Premier League after a successful spell in Ligue 1 with Marseille, where he manages former United star Mason Greenwood.
Current Premier League managers Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva, and Andoni Iraola are all also linked as United take their time to decide who is best to lead the club into next season.