Manchester United allegedly held fresh talks with the agents of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba on Saturday.
Manchester United allegedly held fresh talks with the agents of Carlos Baleba on Saturday, as the Red Devils continue to work on a deal for the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder.
The 20-time English champions are believed to have identified Baleba as their leading midfield target this summer, with the Cameroon international developing into one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League.
Brighton allegedly want a fee in the region of £104m for Baleba, making a deal incredibly difficult this summer, but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said that Man United are still working on a move.
“I told you last night that Man United maintain contacts with the agents of Carlos Baleba and I want to confirm that – Manchester United are speaking again and again, even today, with the agents of Carlos Baleba about the contract, about the salary,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“So Man United on the player side, they want to advance and then see what happens with Brighton. At the moment with Brighton, it is still not something advanced or concrete or easy.
Romano: ‘Man United still working on Baleba move’
“But the contacts are still ongoing, the player is not closing doors to Manchester United and so Man United, from what I feel, they want to try.
“They want to try and say, ‘okay we believe Baleba is the perfect player, we are very happy with our market’, because Man United signed [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Matheus] Cunha and [Benjamin] Sesko, the players they wanted.
“Now they say, ‘If we can get the perfect midfielder, good, otherwise we will move on’, but Man United want to try and this is why even today on a Saturday, they continue to speak with the agents of Baleba and the contract is a topic that for Manchester United will not be a problem.
“So let’s see what’s going to happen there but for sure it is an interesting situation to follow.”
Brighton boss explains Baleba absence from pre-season clash
Baleba was not involved in Brighton’s pre-season clash with Wolfsburg on Saturday amid the speculation surrounding his future, but Seagulls head coach Fabian Hurzeler has insisted that his absence was not down to the transfer talk.
“He trained today, he trained yesterday so we don’t want to take any risks but he will be back,” said Hurzeler, with Baleba recently absent due to a minor knee injury that he sustained in training.
Lille would allegedly be due 20% of any future transfer fee, so the French outfit are seemingly in line for a huge pay-out either this summer or in 2026, with Manchester City also believed to be interested.
The Cameroonian has made 77 appearances for Brighton since arriving from Lille in the summer of 2023, scoring four goals and registering two assists, while he has a contract at the Amex until June 2028.
Last season, Baleba scored four goals and registered two assists in 40 appearances in all competitions at club level, and his ball-carrying abilities have made him one of the most in-demand midfielders in world football.
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