Brighton chief Paul Barber has played down speculation surrounding Japanese star Kaoru Mitoma.

The attacking winger has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent days.

Mitoma, who burst onto the scene at the club this season, has impressed for the Albion with nine goals in all competitions.

Barber told The Beautiful Game podcast: “Obviously he's [Mitoma] another player that will be in the spotlight in the next transfer window.

“We're ready for that and we understand that, we just hope he can have a great second half of the season."

He added: “We're very fortunate from a financial point of view that we're not a club that has to sell players to survive."