Brighton humble Man Utd again after ‘laughing off’ derisory bid for star who’ll break Prem record

Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton

Brighton attackers Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma

A head-scratching and failed Manchester United bid for a Brighton star has come to light, and the dubious offer drew a fiery response from the Seagulls.

Brighton made light work of the Red Devils on their own turf over the weekend when emerging from Old Trafford with a 3-1 victory.

United did play well during the early stages of the contest, though once former United frontman Danny Welbeck opened the scoring it was all Brighton.

The defeat ended United’s 31-match unbeaten streak at home, though further humbling news involving the Seagulls has now surfaced.

United targeted a potent new frontman over the summer and initially locked on to Harry Kane.

However, once it became apparent signing Kane would leave United short on funds for other areas – such as goalkeeper and central midfield – the plug was pulled.

United ultimately wound up signing Rasmus Hojlund in a deal worth £72m. Per ESPN, even that did not go as planned after United initially strived to spend no more than £60m on the Dane.

In any case, the bigger concern comes from ESPN’s revelation that Man Utd tabled a baffling £50m bid for Brighton ace Evan Ferguson.

Man Utd and Brighton on completely different pages

The Republic of Ireland international, 18, is widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the Premier League.

But far from being just potential, Ferguson is already making a serious impact at the AMEX.

Ferguson has earned rave reviews for his complete displays at centre-forward. End product has also been there in abundance, with Ferguson notching four goals in five matches this season.

Per ESPN, Man Utd lodged a £50m bid for Ferguson over the summer that was quickly ‘laughed off’ by Brighton.

£50m may sound a worthy effort to sign a player with less than 50 first-team appearances to his name. However, it never stood a chance of succeeding.

Indeed, Brighton are fully aware of the calibre of player they have on their books and with Man City, Tottenham and Arsenal all showing interest, there’s no reason to sell on the cheap.

Ferguson’s contract at Brighton also doesn’t expire until 2028, meaning the Seagulls have a firm grasp on the striker’s future.

Furthermore, Brighton are understood to have their sights set on breaking the record for the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time when the time comes to sell Ferguson.

The Daily Express claimed the bidding will begin at £115m which by itself is the current record transfer for the EPL (Moises Caicedo to Chelsea).

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