Manchester United are set to make a second bid for Carlos Baleba this week after making the Brighton midfielder their next key transfer target. United have already spent more than £200million on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to transform their forward line, and now Ruben Amorim wants to bolster his midfield.

At a fan forum last week, Brighton CEO Paul Barber insisted he had not spoken to United over Baleba, but was unable to provide any assurances over the midfielder’s future. ‘There’s always going to be interest in our players,’ he said.

Having not seen the best version of Manuel Ugarte all that often in the last 12 months, United are hoping to add a midfielder to their ranks before the window closes. Brighton ace Carlos Baleba has emerged as a target and he would be a terrific signing for Ruben Amorim.