Manchester United are prioritising a move for Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall despite being offered Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, according to reports. Michael Carrick's side remain in the hunt for a left-sided defender before the end of the summer transfer window, with Hall emerging as their top target.
Hall seen as long-term Shaw replacement
According to The Sun, United see Hall, 21, as the long-term replacement for Luke Shaw and want to sign him before the September 1 deadline. However, Newcastle have taken measures to dampen talk of Hall moving to United and are desperate to keep hold of one of their prized assets, having already lost Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali this summer.
Hall is thought to be keen on a move to Old Trafford and follow several of his former teammates out of the exit door at Newcastle. His wish to quit the Magpies has not changed amid the arrival of new head coach Matthias Jaissle, who replaced Eddie Howe following his shock departure last month.
United accelerate interest
United have accelerated their interest in Hall, who has a contract until 2029, in recent weeks and are looking to make him signing number four of the summer. The Reds have spent more than £80m so far on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow, and are still hoping for a couple more additions.
But United could face an uphill task to land Hall due to Newcastle's reported £60m valuation. The Reds have baulked at the asking price of Premier League trio Mateus Fernandes, Alex Scott and Elliot Anderson, and are not prepared to pay over the odds for any target, regardless of who they are.
Lewis-Skelly offered as alternative
Lewis-Skelly is another option for United after he was offered to Carrick's side earlier this week. The 19-year-old starred in midfield for Arsenal at the back end of last season but is also more than capable at left-back. The Gunners are hoping to recoup funds after signing Bruno Guimaraes for £75m and see Lewis-Skelly as a sellable asset. As well as United, the Hale End graduate has also been offered to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
But Lewis-Skelly is prioritising staying at Arsenal and United would prefer to target Hall instead, putting that transfer rumour firmly to one side, for at least now anyway. Hall was sent home from Newcastle's pre-season training camp in La Manga, Spain last week after suffering a minor injury. He therefore didn't feature in Jaissle's first game away at Valencia.
