Manchester United have moved to the front of the queue for Club Brugge left back Joaquin Seys, making a formal enquiry to the Belgian club ahead of rivals Arsenal and several other interested parties.
United's pursuit comes after the club turned away from their previous top target, Newcastle's Lewis Hall, with the Magpies unwilling to sanction a sale this summer. With a return to the Champions League approaching, Michael Carrick's squad is being strengthened across multiple positions, and left back has been identified as a priority area.
Seys, who turned 21 and does not reach 22 until March, has accumulated 97 first-team appearances for Brugge and made 23 of those in the Champions League. He has also earned six caps for Belgium and featured at the World Cup this summer, including in the quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Spain. Club Brugge have placed a valuation of around €35 million on the player, and United are not expected to be deterred by that figure as they seek a long-term replacement for Luke Shaw, now in the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.
Shaw has been hampered by injury throughout his time with the club. Despite appearing in every Premier League fixture last term, the 31-year-old managed just seven appearances the season before that and has only completed 30 or more games in a season three times across his 12 campaigns. Patrick Dorgu has impressed in the Premier League and may be considered the first-choice option, though he has also been used further up the pitch.
It has been a measured transfer window at Old Trafford so far, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos the only senior signings, both arriving for under £50 million. Karl Darlow and Tynan Thompson have also joined the squad. The club are still weighing further moves in midfield, right back and potentially left wing, with United due to open the league season against Hull City.
Arsenal have also lodged an enquiry with Club Brugge for Seys, and Aston Villa, Newcastle, Benfica and FC Porto have all been credited with interest. Brugge, however, acknowledge the weight of attention and have set their asking price accordingly. With Seys under contract at the club until 2029, they are under no immediate pressure to sell, though talks over his future are expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
Reporting: GiveMeSport, Metro, FourFourTwo, ESPN.