Manchester City are keeping tabs on Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, according to reports.
The Daily Mail claim that the Cityzens sent scouts to watch the Cameroon international earlier this season.
With City set to undergo a major rebuild this summer, plenty of supporters on X would like Baleba to be one of the players brought in, although some are worried about how much he will cost:
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Please sign that boy
— Monteno (@tenom43200012) May 9, 2025
that’s more like it
— ت (@fetid_gourd) May 9, 2025
Brighton are asking too much. It will cost over £100M. We can't get him.
— Time waits for no one. (@kazuake645) May 9, 2025
Yes bring
— FootballIcon (@OptaFootball) May 9, 2025
Been saying this for like for ever
Bring my brother asap
— Demelu (@UsehDemelu) May 9, 2025
Doing business with Brighton is never a good idea. They place a transer fee of 120M on him.
— Brian Kones (@konesbrian) May 9, 2025
Brighton have slapped a sky-high valuation on Baleba
Fans are rightly concerned about entering negotiations with the 21-year-old’s club. Seagulls owner Tony Bloom is notoriously difficult to do business with.
When Chelsea were linked with Baleba at the beginning of April, it was reported that the midfielder would only be sold for a fee close to the amount received for Moises Caicedo. That was a British record £115m.
The Man City target has been praised for his performances
After putting in a standout display against Man City in the 2-1 defeat at the Amex back in November, BBC pundit Alan Shearer singled out Baleba for single-handedly turning the match on its head:
“Second half, it all changed. He [Baleba] came on and got among them. He showed energy, aggression and he rattled them.”
“Brighton were a completely different team in the second half and it started because of him; he played on the front foot. They should have scored four or five. He was absolutely wonderful.”
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here