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Manchester United could place their priority on landing Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall after securing the services of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Red Devils have already recruited two midfielders in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, and a third appears close to completion. Baleba looks poised to join in the near future. In recent weeks, United’s main priorities have been a third midfielder and a left-back. With Baleba close to joining the Red Devils, the hierarchy could begin to place their emphasis on landing Hall, who has been earmarked as the club’s prime left-back target. The Magpies have had a difficult summer with the sale of several key stars. They have already parted ways with Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and captain Bruno Guimaraes. Despite this, United should still remain optimistic of prising Hall away after Baleba. Brighton valued Baleba at more than £100 million last summer, which put off United. However, they kept in contact with his agents, and it appears they could sign him for significantly less. United’s latest offer stands at £60m plus £5m in add-ons. While that remains below Brighton’s valuation, amicable talks continue as all parties work to reach an agreement. In our view, a deal for Baleba could act as a springboard to land Hall. The Red Devils desperately need a proven competitor to Luke Shaw for the new season. The 31-year-old recently had a tough outing in the 4-2 friendly loss to AC Milan. The Englishman was dribbled past multiple times by Samuel Chukwueze and could not cope with the Nigerian ace, who operated as a right wing-back for the Rossoneri. Shaw has been a reliable figure for United over the last 12 years when fit, but with the extra European workload, there is a risk of him being sidelined, given his long injury record. Patrick Dorgu could deputise at left-back, but he is viewed as a left winger under manager Michael Carrick. In Hall, United would have a good competitor and a long-term successor to Shaw. The Chelsea graduate would be open to joining the club with his ambition to play Champions League football. The Athletic claimed earlier this summer that a package worth £50m could test the Magpies’ resolve. That figure may not be sufficient anymore after the selling spree at Newcastle, but we still believe a higher fee similar to what has been offered for Baleba (£65m) could seal the deal. It is obvious that Newcastle have a price for every player. If Hall publicly highlights his desire to join United this summer, the Magpies may give in and negotiate a suitable transfer package.