The latest Man Utd transfer news and rumours as they continue to be linked with a move for Carlos Baleba.
Carlos Baleba on the subs bench.
Man Utd-linked Carlos Baleba is valued at around £100m by Brighton.
(Image: 2024 Getty Images)
Manchester United are preparing for a hectic end to the summer transfer window. After getting Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo through the door earlier in the window, Ruben Amorim could still welcome three new players to his squad.
Improvements to United's attack have been made with Cunha and Mbeumo adding 35 Premier League goals to a team that struggled in front of goal. Diego Leon has also arrived from Paraguay to become the latest wonderkid to be signed under Ineos.
Benjamin Sesko will become the club's third major signing of the summer - after an agreement was reached with RB Leipzig. The Manchester Evening News reported earlier in the week that United were offering £65.3million plus £8.7m in add-ons.
It's expected the Slovenia striker will be unveiled as Amorim's new centre-forward at Old Trafford on Saturday ahead of the pre-season friendly against Fiorentina. With three weeks until the window slams, United have two more positions to deal with.
Another new goalkeeper has been touted since the window opened, but a replacement for Andre Onana currently seems unlikely to come in. The priority after Sesko is expected to be a new midfielder - with Brighton's ball-winning sensation Carlos Baleba on their radar.
It's been reported that United have made contact with the Seagulls - via intermediaries - over the possibility of a move for the Cameroon international. Since signing from LOSC Lille, Baleba has attracted interest with his displays at the AMEX Stadium and United are huge admirers.
However, it has been widely reported that Brighton value the midfielder at £100million, a figure close to the one they received for Moises Caicedo in 2023 - from Chelsea. It's clear United would have to construct a near-perfect financial package to reach an agreement.
Despite Brighton's asking price, the latest figures released by the CIES Football Observatory indicate the midfielder should be valued between €75m (£65m) and €87m (£75.4m). Using a sample of over 8,000 transfers, the website evaluates prices of players from the five major European top-flights using the statistical technique of multiple linear regression, with fees paid by clubs as an independent variable.
It's understood that Brighton don't want to sell Baleba - at least for another year - but that hasn't stopped them cashing in on other highly-rated players, such as Joao Pedro, Alexis Mac Allister and Pervis Estupinan, throughout the years.
According to Fabrizio Romano, United are aware that the Seagulls will be hard to negotiate with. However, it's still reckoned that Baleba would be ready to say yes to a move to Old Trafford this summer, even without the prospect of them playing in Europe.
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