By Wayne Veysey

19th Sep, 2023 | 9:16am

Sources: Senior Chelsea scout spotted in Man United transfer mission

A senior Chelsea scout was spotted making extensive notes about a player during the Man United defeat to Brighton, sources have told Football Insider.

Longstanding Blues talent spotter James Bell-Walker was at Old Trafford on Saturday (16 September) for the Premier League clash, won 3-1 by Brighton.

It is believed the transfer mission was undertaken to check out one of the starting players.

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for the visitors, with Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro compounding the misery for Man United in the second half.

Substitute Hannibal Mejbri scored a stunning consolation for Erik ten Hag’s side in the 73rd minute.

Brighton moved into fifth with the victory on 12 points, while Man United slumped to a lowly 13th with just six points.

Chelsea have also struggled at the start of the 2023-24 campaign, despite spending a reported £400million in the summer window.

The Blues have an established recent history of signing the best talent at Brighton in recent years.

They signed Marc Cucurella last summer (2022) and followed that deal by adding Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez in the off-season.

Chelsea also appointed ex-Seagulls boss Graham Potter last year, but he was sacked earlier this year after struggling to make an impression at Stamford Bridge.

The London outfit also poached several key recruitment figures from the Sussex club, who enjoyed their most successful season of all time in the 2022-23 campaign.

Chelsea have not signed a player from Man United in the last ten years.

Like the Red Devils, the Blues have struggled under Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the 2023-24 campaign – picking up just five points from a possible 15.

In other news, Chelsea now plan to accept defender offer to balance FFP books.