Man Utd draw up Carlos Baleba back-up plan to give Ruben Amorim TWO new players

Manchester United are looking to add Carlos Baleba from Brighton, but if he proves too expensive Ruben Amorim will raid former club Sporting Lisbon for captain Morten Hjulmand

Manchester United will turn their attention to Sporting Lisbon star Morten Hjulmand if they cannot secure a deal for Brighton's Carlos Baleba - who remains their top target.

Ruben Amorim wants to bolster his midfield after spending £200million on his frontline but is having to consider his options with the Seagulls playing hardball over their Cameroon midfielder - which has led to United's interest in Hjulmand.

The Dane would be available for £50m, which is notably less than his £68m release clause. The Portuguese side would be willing to accept a lower fee if the necessary add-ons were met, reports The Sun. The 26-year-old has been a massive hit since signing from Lecce for just £15m in 2023.

It was Amorim who bought Hjulmand to the Portuguese capital and he's known to be a fan of his leadership qualities. The midfielder is also fully embedded in how to play in the 3-4-3 system that the United manager has been implementing.

Baleba remains the first choice target in Manchester but Brighton want more than £100m before they part with their player, making Hjulmand a far cheaper alternative at a time when cash is not freely available for the Premier League side.

Hjulmand played 65 times during his spell together with Amorim at Sporting - winning two Primeira Liga titles and a Taca de Portugal. The Dane scored his first goal of the season as he helped Sporting secure a 2-0 league opening win over Casa Pia on Friday.

The cash United would save from signing Hjulmand as opposed to Baleba would also potentially leave money left over, which would be used to pursue a new goalkeeper. Gianluigi Donnarumma is on the market but the Red Devils need to act quick with Manchester City circling.

Amorim is still to be convinced by Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro in pre-season, while Kobbie Mainoo still needs to impress with manager with the Portuguese boss admitting publicly where his game is short.

Brighton are poised to be a tough but to crack though with their chief executive Paul Barber making it clear they don't want to part with their top names, especially having already seen Joao Pedro leave for Chelsea.

He said: "We will always try to make sure we sell our best players at the right time, not just for the player but for us. If we end up doing that with any player, it's with the view to leave Fabian with a competitive squad, whatever happens. We don't want to sell our best players."