"Ten Hag wants him" - Manchester United's "No 1" transfer target confirmed by respected journalist

Respected journalist Florian Plettenburg has 'confirmed' that Manchester United are pursuing their number one transfer target in the upcoming windows.

United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly keen to add more players to his squad, having completed a partial squad rebuild in the summer.

Casemiro, Antony and Christian Eriksen were among the high-profile stars to arrive at Old Trafford, with Tyrell Malacia also making the move to Manchester.

But there is still more to be done, as Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa evidenced, with United's defence and midfield struggling to contain a rampant Villa side.

It is midfield in which the Red Devils have been criticised for not improving in recent seasons, although the signings of Casemiro and Eriksen have since gone some way to adding more options.

They are, it appears, searching for another player to complement their current midfielders, though, and Plettenburg has appeared to confirm they will move for one star in particular.

Journalist confirms Manchester United pursuit

Taking to Twitter, Plettenburg 'confirmed' that United see Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham as their number one target.

That may disappoint Liverpool fans, with the Reds also keen on bringing the player back to England after he came through Birmingham City's academy.

Plettenburg also suggests that any interested club will have to pay €150 million for Bellingham's services, which could rule some teams out of the hotly-contested race.

However, the journalist did offer some hope for clubs competing with United, in particular.

Alamy)

He said: Bellingham: He's the transfer target No.1 for #MUFC confirmed! They expect him to cost around €150m.

"They have scouted him a lot. Ten Hag wants him in 2023! But: Chances are low due to competition from [Man City] and [Liverpool], and due to Financial Fair Play!"

With those reports, it appears Ten Hag and United may have to negotiate with Dortmund to lower the cost of Bellingham - or risk losing him to one of their key rivals.

If they can attract Bellingham to Old Trafford, though, it would solve a problem area, with the 19-year-old offering incredible qualities going forward, presence and composure on the ball and plenty of potential to improve even further.