Club Brugge have decided Joaquin Seys is not for sale amid 'concrete' interest from Manchester United, according to reports in Belgium. Seys emerged as a possible plan B for United at left-back this summer, with top target Lewis Hall expected to remain at Newcastle despite the player's desire to push through a switch to Old Trafford.
United's search for a left-back
The Red Devils have been scouring the market for a full-back with a view to providing support and competition for Luke Shaw, and time is fast running out for the club to find a solution before the deadline. Fulham's Antonee Robinson and Racing Santander's Jorge Salinas are both believed to be on United's shortlist of alternatives to Hall, along with Seys, who is considered one of the brightest young talents in Belgian football.
The 21-year-old left-back made 55 appearances in all competitions for Brugge last season, playing an integral role to help his boyhood team clinch the Belgian Pro League title for a seventh time in the last decade. It saw Seys called up to Belgium's squad for this summer's World Cup and the full-back caught the eye with an impressive cameo performance against Spain sensation Lamine Yamal in the quarter-finals.
Brugge's firm stance
According to Belgian newspaper HLN, United continue to express 'concrete interest' in Seys, but Club Brugge have been 'clear' throughout that the youngster is central to their plans and will not be sold. It's claimed a summer transfer is now completely 'out of the question' and Seys has been informed that he will 'not be allowed to leave' under any circumstances ahead of the new season.
The report states that even if United submitted an offer somewhere in the region of the record £34million fee that Brugge accepted for Christos Tzolis from Arsenal, Seys would still be denied a move. Rangers left-back Tuur Rommens has long been mooted as a potential replacement for Seys at Brugge but this is no longer a possibility and the Belgian champions have cooled their interest.
Coach's praise and contract details
Brugge do, though, wish to bring in back-up for Seys following the departure of Bjorn Meijer for Sampdoria and club chiefs are working behind the scenes to ensure they are not left short in this area. Speaking to De Morgen earlier this month, Brugge head coach Ivan Leko fuelled the rumours linking Seys with United, tipping the youngster to take English football by storm in the future.
'I see him reaching the absolute top of the Premier League. In my opinion, he has no ceiling,' Brugge manager Leko said of Seys in an interview with Flemish newspaper De Morgen published on Tuesday. 'He has the talent, the character, and above all, the right mentality.'
In a separate interview, Leko admitted he was 'proud' to hear that Seys had been identified as a target for the likes of United and Arsenal. 'I'm proud that my guys are being linked to those clubs,' he said. 'We chat about it every now and then. How much of those rumours is true? I don't know. But we all have eyes in our heads: their potential is incredible.'
Seys' current contract with Brugge runs through to June 2029.
