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Erik ten Hag wants to strengthen his central midfield further in the summer with Man Utd lining up moves for a Premier League duo, according to reports.
The Dutchman has already won the Carabao Cup this season and put the Red Devils in a good position to qualify for the Champions League with nine Premier League games to play.
Man Utd also have a chance of winning more silverware as Ten Hag has guided them into the FA Cup semi-finals and Europa League quarter-finals.
Ten Hag is likely to be backed in the summer transfer market whether the Glazers sell the club or end up remaining as owners, with the Americans benefitting from a £300m ‘company credit card’.
And The Daily Telegraph claim that Ten Hag has identified two of their main targets in Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister.
It is understood that he ‘will target a central midfielder’ with the Brighton pair ‘among the shortlist of players considered as potential signings’ for Man Utd.
There have been rumours that Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek and Fred could need to leave Man Utd in the summer as Ten Hag continues his strengthening process and that could open up at least one midfield spot in their ranks.
If Man Utd were to move for both Caicedo and Mac Allister it would set them back around £222m with the reported asking price for the former at £90m, while the Argentina World Cup winner could cost as much as €150m (£132m).
Both players have extended their contracts at Brighton this season with a number of Premier League clubs looking at both the players.
The Daily Telegraph add: ‘Ten Hag would welcome more competition in central midfield. Casemiro and Eriksen are his first choice, supported by Scott McTominay, who has scored the opening goal against Everton at the weekend.’
When asked in March about Arsenal bidding £70m for Caicedo in January, Brighton chief executive Paul Barber replied: “Only if they wanted half the player!
“I mean, joking aide, we never provide the numbers. It always amuses us when we see numbers in the media, because they’ve not come from us.”
Barber added: “For us in January selling Moises wasn’t a good move because he’s one of our best players in the first half of the season and secondly we were in a great position in the league, we were still in the FA Cup, we still had a lot of football to play and we want to achieve our best ever finish in the Premier League,” he continued.
“The stakes for us in the second half of the season were higher than ever and Moises is a big part of that.
“He is also a young player who is still learning his game. He is in a faraway country from where he was born and therefore we have a responsibility to try and do the best for the player long-term, as well as in the short-term for us.
“We felt that was best served by keeping Moises with us, trying to do the best we can for the rest of this season and then what will be in the future will be.
“Moises is a top, top class player and has the potential to be anything he wants to be, anywhere he wants to be and therefore, this is not the one and only transfer window Moises is going to be a popular attraction for other clubs.
“When we sat down with him and talked about that and once all the heat of the window had gone out and we were able to agree a new contract with him, settle him back down and as you have seen in the last few games he’s beginning to get back to that level he was at in the first half (of the season).
“His chance will come in the future to be whatever he wants to be and we are all very confident that will happen for him.”
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