Manchester United's pursuit of a £30 million left-back might fall short against Arsenal! Seven other candidates are available, with the cheapest costing just £13 million.

It is no secret that Manchester United are eager to sign a left-back, with Newcastle United's Lewis Hall being their primary target. However, the Magpies have already lost three key players this summer—Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimarães—so they have decided to keep Hall. This has forced Manchester United to look for alternatives, and there are plenty of rumors. The Sun reported this week that United are interested in Club Brugge's Belgian international Joaquin Seys.

The 21-year-old Seys has already made six appearances for the Belgian national team, including playing in a World Cup knockout match. Club Brugge are willing to sell and have set a price of £30 million (€35 million). However, according to transfer expert Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are ahead of Manchester United in the race for his signature.

"Seys could move to the Premier League, with both Arsenal and Manchester United evaluating their options," Jacobs said. "I think, similar to the case of Christos Tzolis, Club Brugge are willing to approve a deal for Seys, but there is no progress yet. Arsenal have told me that they have been scouting this player for some time."

He added: "We know that Manchester United's transfer window is not over yet, and the team has some priority positions to address. If Rashford leaves, they might need a left winger; also a third midfielder, a defensive one to strengthen the backline. In the long term, United may also need to find a successor for Maguire. However, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are seen as a young pairing that could become the backbone of the team in the future. Then on the left side, United need to bring in a left-back because Luke Shaw won't be around forever, and Diego Leon is still too young."

At left-back, Manchester United have other candidates in mind, such as the long-rumored Fulham player Antonee Robinson ( ). The 28-year-old American international has been linked alongside Hall and is considered a 'Plan B' to the Newcastle youngster, and is cheaper.

Of course, signing a player from Europe would cost less than an established Premier League player. According to reports, RB Leipzig's David Raum has once again surfaced in Manchester United's rumor list. The 28-year-old Raum made 34 appearances last season, scoring 3 goals and providing 9 assists, and was included in Germany's World Cup squad. Raum's contract is in its final year, with a release clause of £34 million (€40 million). However, if he fails to extend his contract, he might be available for just £30 million.

Manchester United are also keeping an eye on younger players, one of them being 19-year-old Spanish talent Jorge Salinas from La Liga newcomers Racing Santander. His links to United have been around for a while. The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell said: "Salinas is on the list of potential options. I think he has a buyout clause of €16 million (£13 million). But his agent is Jorge Mendes."

Salinas fits perfectly the type of player recommended to Manchester United by their transfer and scouting director Christopher Vivell: young, relatively cheap, technically skilled, with great potential for development. However, the rumors could also be a tactic by Mendes to boost his profile, as the Portuguese super-agent often uses United in this way.

The Athletic also listed more left-back candidates that Manchester United are scouting: Spanish left-back Juan Miranda from Bologna in Serie A, French player Quentin Merlin from Rennes in Ligue 1, French full-back Adrien Truffert from Bournemouth, and Senegalese international El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham United in the Championship.

Given that the left-back Manchester United bring in will be a rotation option for Luke Shaw, and there are already several players who can fill in at left-back, the club is not in a hurry. They may wait until the summer transfer window closes before making a late signing, so fans will have to be patient.