By Wayne Veysey

27th May, 2022 | 10:04am

Sources: Brighton plotting to sign Axel Tuanzebe after Man United update

Brighton & Hove Albion have set their sights on signing Man United defender Axel Tuanzebe this summer, Football Insider understands.

The 24-year-old could be offloaded as part of a huge clearcut of players by new manager Erik ten Hag.

A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Brighton are in the market for a centre-back and Graham Potter is an admirer of Tuanzebe.

The Seagulls are confident there is a deal to be done for the versatile defender, who can play at centre-back and right-back.

Tuanzebe is due to return to United this summer after a disastrous loan spell at Napoli where he made only one league appearance following his January arrival.

He started the season on loan at Aston Villa, but that deal was cut short and he headed to Serie A in the winter window.

The former England Under-21 international ended the season with just 13 appearances across all competitions for Villa and Napoli, including nine starts.

He is under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2023 but the club have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

Brighton finished just three places and seven points behind Man United in the Premier League table with one of the best defences in the division.

They lost centre-back Dan Burn to Newcastle United in the January transfer window and did not replace him so were a defender short in the second half of the season.

In other news, it can be revealed that a Man United man has only a six-day-a-month deal.