Manchester United could pursue a new midfielder during the ongoing transfer window.
The Red Devils have had a productive summer with a couple of high-profile acquisitions.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo should be quality upgrades in the final third for United.
The club are also in advanced negotiations with RB Leipzig regarding striker Benjamin Sesko.
Amidst this, David Ornstein reports that the Red Devils have made contact with Brighton through intermediaries over a potential deal for midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The Cameroon international has established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League, and United are exploring a possible move for his services.
As things stand, a deal appears unlikely on the cards. With the huge outlay expected to be made on Sesko (£74m or more), the club will need a raft of lucrative sales to afford Baleba.
Brighton also don’t plan to part ways with the 21-year-old Cameroon international. The Red Devils will get to know the Seagulls’ stance on the midfielder in the next few days.
Baleba would be a fantastic signing for Man Utd
The young midfielder signed for the Seagulls from Lille in the summer of 2023 as a replacement for Moises Caicedo. He has quickly developed into a top-class player.
He had a passing accuracy of 88 percent in the Premier League last term. Baleba also made six recoveries and won six duels per game with an average of more than two tackles.
The former Lille man has proved to be a fabulous replacement for Caicedo at the South Coast outfit, and there are no surprises that United are pushing to land his signature.
Brighton are a tough club to negotiate with, as they tend to come up with huge price tags for their players.
They could easily demand up to £80 million to sanction Baleba’s exit. The big question is whether United can afford to recoup such an amount to spend on the talented ace.
The Red Devils are open to offloading Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
However, United have yet to receive any formal bids. They also face the risk of losing them on cut-price deals, given that clubs are aware that the quartet are surplus to requirements.
Hence, it seems unlikely that Baleba will make the switch to Old Trafford. With the way United’s transfer window has gone so far, the club could yet spring up a surprise and sign him.
Stats from Sofascore.com