Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd transfer chiefs focusing on Prem revelation with winger mission having double benefit as Ten Hag casts two players aside

Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma

Manchester United are scouting one of the Premier League’s breakout stars this season, according to a report – and their observations could come in handy for two reasons.

Man Utd reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup over the weekend by beating Fulham. In the semi-finals, they have been drawn to face Brighton at Wembley. Erik ten Hag will be eyeing another domestic final after winning the Carabao Cup recently.

Brighton will be tough opponents for Man Utd, though. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have punched above their weight in the Premier League this season. Progressing this far in the cup is also a good symbol of their form.

Over the course of the season, several Brighton players have caught the eye. For example, Leandro Trossard earned a transfer to Arsenal in January, before Moises Caicedo was the subject of similar links.

As it turned out, Trossard was Brighton’s only major departure during the winter window. However, the club are bracing themselves for interest in more of their players this summer.

For example, TEAMtalk recently revealed that Brighton are ready to offer what could be the biggest contract in their history to keep Kaoru Mitoma away from the clutches of bigger clubs.

Mitoma has been a revelation for Brighton in his debut season with the club. He has scored nine goals and provided six assists from 27 appearances in all competitions.

It has led to interest from the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Arsenal. But now, The Sun has claimed that Man Utd are in the race for Mitoma as well.

Man Utd making notes about Mitoma

According to the report, Man Utd scouts have been at Brighton games to specifically focus on Mitoma recently.

The winger, 25, could become a transfer target for the Red Devils as a result. Obviously, they will have a battle on their hands to sign him, given Brighton’s efforts to extend his contract beyond its 2025 expiry date.

However, there will be an obvious second benefit of Man Utd watching Mitoma beyond the transfer links. After all, the scouts will be able to feed back to Ten Hag about one of Brighton’s danger men ahead of their FA Cup clash on April 23.

Further down the line, it will be interesting to see if Mitoma could end up as a Man Utd player.

The report indicates that Ten Hag is willing to get rid of Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga in the summer. Therefore, there could be space in the squad for a different left winger like Mitoma.

As things stand, though, Brighton will be doing all they can to keep the talent they unearthed from Kawasaki Frontale in his native Japan.

READ MORE – Transfer Gossip: Man Utd to have monster bid accepted as Ten Hag nears summer signing No 1; Liverpool lead Arsenal in chase for £44m star