Man Utd transfer news: Brighton make Carlos Baleba call as two new signings eyed

Manchester United have spent big so far this summer, but Ruben Amorim remains keen to continue strengthening his squad with a new midfielder top of his shopping list

The new season will get underway for Manchester United on Sunday when they host rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford. The Red Devils will be hoping to make a winning start as they look to bounce back from their worst Premier League finish last season.

United finished 15th in the league and failed to qualify for the Champions League after they were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham. Ruben Amorim has strengthened his squad this summer, bringing in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon.

Marcus Rashford has left the club, joining Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, while Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof have been released and veteran defender Jonny Evans has retired.

With all that in mind, Mirror Football takes a look at all of the latest transfer news and rumours from in and around Old Trafford…

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Baleba latest

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says he is “very confident” that Carlos Baleba will not be sold this summer, despite strong interest from Old Trafford.

When asked about the midfielder’s future ahead of Brighton’s opening game of the new season, Hurzeler said: “I didn’t see any change, he’s only changed his hair. I think that’s the change he’s made in the last two weeks.

“But overall he seems to be in a really good place, he’s enjoying it with his team-mates, he’s enjoying being a Brighton player. I didn’t see any big changes and he’s an option to start tomorrow. Very very very confident [he will stay], that’s just my belief.”

Two new signings eyed

According to a report from the Sun, Manchester United are considering a move for Morten Hjulmand as a potential alternative to Carlos Baleba. The report states that the Sporting captain would ‘cost less than half’ what it would take to sign Baleba, with Hjulmand valued at around £50m.

As a result, it is claimed that United could use the money saved by signing Hjulmand to fund a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Paris Saint-Germain star is expected to leave this summer after they signed a new goalkeeper in Lucas Chevalier.

Rashford warning

Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, having been frozen out at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim. However, Steve McManaman believes the forward has no place at Barcelona.

“It’s certainly important that he hits the ground running,” he said at an event with ESPN. “I thought it was an incredible move for him, to be very honest. The last couple of seasons at Manchester United, the way Manchester United performed – for him to leave and go to arguably one of the most exciting teams in Europe, I thought: ‘He’s got an amazing agent.’

“Where’s he going to fit in? The answer is, I don’t know. Because Raphinha, Robert [Lewandowski] and Lamine [Yamal], they had the most incredible season. So you think that is set in stone. You’ve got Ferran [Torres] behind them. They’ve moved a couple of players out – if anything, when you look at Barcelona’s team, they need a couple of more defenders… but they go and bring in yet another forward. So we’ll wait and see.”

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