Erik ten Hag 'targets Brighton pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister'

Manchester United will look to bolster their midfield options this summer, with Erik ten Hag identifying Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister as targets, it has been reported.

Both Caicedo and Mac Allister have been standout performers for Brighton this season, driving on the club's unlikely pursuit of Champions League football for next season.

Despite both having signed new deals recently, with Mac Allister tied down before the World Cup last year and Caicedo having agreed fresh terms at the end of a January window in which he made public his desire to leave, it is expected they will be the subjects of extensive interest this summer.

The Telegraph have reported both players are on a shortlist of targets for the forthcoming summer window.

However, with Brighton possessing no need to sell, it is believed they would both individually cost north of £70m.

In what has been further evidence of Brighton's shrewdness in the transfer market, initiated by the data-led approach of their owner Tony Bloom, Mac Allister and Caicedo, signed for a combined sum of £11.4m, have turned Brighton into one of the league's most impressive sides.

Caicedo, 21, is an Ecuador international who had been highly rated in South America before his move to England in 2021.

The midfielder had wanted to join Arsenal in January, while Chelsea were also circling, though Brighton stood firm.

'I think he suffered in the transfer market window, that moment was very difficult for him,' his manager, Roberto De Zerbi, said last month. 'But we can understand because he is very young. He can suffer in this situation.'

His new deal carries him through to 2027, though there appears to be an acceptance that for the right price he will be allowed to move on.

Mac Allister, 24, was tied down ahead of the World Cup in which he played a crucial role as Argentina ended their 36-year drought.

His deal runs until 2025, though Brighton themselves hold a one-year option.

There were tentative reports at the start of the year about a potential mid-season move away, but nothing materialised in the same way it did as with Caicedo.

Ten Hag signed Casemiro last summer from Real Madrid and the Brazilian has made himself one of the club's most important players, though parts of his season has been blighted by suspension.

The Dutchman's first choice midfield pairs Casemiro and Christian Eriksen at the base, though the Dane spent three months out injured following a tackle against Reading in January.

Bruno Fernandes has been used at the base for stretches, while Marcel Sabitzer, the Austria international signed on loan from Bayern Munich, has also performed that role.

'When you miss players you have to find solutions as a manager,' said Ten Hag of the Portuguese's adapting to his new role.

'When Casemiro and Eriksen were available there was no need to bring Bruno down but when you miss them you have to bring a solution from the back to bring the build up, progress the ball to attack.

'We found the idea to bring Bruno down more deeper and he's doing brilliant, he's playing brilliant games.'