Man Utd had a £50m bid for Evan Ferguson 'laughed off' by Brighton

Manchester United had a £50 million bid for Evan Ferguson 'laughed off' by Brighton, according to reports.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Erik ten Hag remained interested in signing Ferguson, despite signing 20-year-old Danish forward Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in a deal worth a reported £72m this summer.

Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail claimed that United were viewing Ferguson as an option in two transfer windows time, stating: "United have been watching Ferguson and monitoring his progress but the same could be said of dozens of players.

"They are already working two windows ahead, which is pretty commonplace across the rest of the Premier League. For each position they ideally have three or more players on a list which they scout and regularly update."

However, ESPN reporter Rob Dawson has since revealed that United tried to sign the 18-year-old over the summer, but had a £50m bid 'laughed off' by the Seagulls, who are thought to be after a British-record transfer fee in order to part ways with the teenager.

Ferguson has picked up where he left off last season, scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle in a fantastic 3-2 win for the south coast club, which will only add value to his growing price tag.

Discussing his potential for The Athletic, former Newcastle talisman and Match Of The Day pundit Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about the Republic of Ireland international, labelling him a 'special talent'.

"I’ve studied his performances and he has the potential to be massive," wrote Shearer. "We’re talking about a very special talent, someone who could be a superstar within a couple of years."

But the 53-year-old admitted that his departure is "inevitable" if he continues on his current trajectory, explaining: “It’s no surprise Manchester City are reportedly among the clubs watching him. It would be more of a surprise if they were not.

“It wouldn’t be a shock if Ferguson was the next huge transfer out of Brighton, not that I wish it for them, but if he keeps progressing the way he is doing, it’s inevitable that something will happen not too far down the line — for the right price, of course.”

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