Manchester United have been linked with a move for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, but will not sell an academy prospect as part of any deal
Carlos Baleba playing for Brighton
Manchester United have ruled out using a young player as part of an offer for Brighton star Carlos Baleba
(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will be delighted by the club's decision not to include Toby Collyer as a makeweight in their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Brighton have priced Baleba at around £100million as United attempt to improve their midfield. The club have completed a £74m deal for Benjamin Sesko, completing manager Ruben Amorim's new frontline alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
Having brought in reinforcements at the top end of the pitch, United are keen to address their issues in midfield. However, United are unwilling to use former Brighton prospect Collyer to help the club reach Baleba's valuation.
Manchester Evening News understands that United have no interest in Collyer being used as part-exchange in a move for Baleba. Yet Collyer, who featured 13 times for United last season, has attracted loan enquiries.
The 21-year-old caught Fernandes' attention during his European debut against Rangers in January. Collyer earned a starting berth ahead of Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro, with the United captain praising his display.
"He trains very well every week, trains at the maximum level," Fernandes told MUTV. "He's a really good kid who wants to learn. He's eager to learn and listen and he has big, big qualities.
"He's aggressive off the ball, he's aggressive running with the ball, he's class in tight spaces, and he is just going to get better."
Manchester United Bruno Fernandes at a press conference
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes praised Toby Collyer after his European debut last season
Fernandes wasn't the only United hero to commend Collyer's performance against the Scottish side. Rio Ferdinand also appreciated the midfielder's efforts.
"He's done the simple things well," Ferdinand said on TNT Sports commentary. "Got to people, worked very hard. A good night's work for him, first European game - well done."
Ferdinand had spoken highly of Collyer's contributions in the club's FA Cup victory against Arsenal earlier that month. "Toby Collyer was excellent when he came on, the energy levels were huge, through the roof. Testament to him," Ferdinand said on his YouTube Channel.
A few days later, Collyer once again caught Ferdinand's eye with his performance off the bench in a win against Southampton. "I really like him, I think he's got great energy, he's done that a few times off the bench," the pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents. "Gives us that extra pair of legs to get amongst it. Looks confident, wants to take the ball."
Toby Collyer playing for Manchester United
Toby Collyer wants to stay at Manchester United but is open to leaving on loan
Collyer, who joined United from Brighton's academy in 2022, was eager to make an impression on Amorim during the club's USA tour. However, the 21-year-old conceded that he might need to consider a loan move to secure more playing time.
"I think first and foremost I want to be here and play as many games for Man United as possible," Collyer told reporters. "I'll sit down with the manager and higher-ups and see what's the best solution for that. The best way for me to develop, whether it's stay here or go on loan.
"The end goal for me is to play as many minutes as possible here, hopefully starting every week. So yeah, I'll sit down with them."
He continued: "Obviously, my feeling at this moment is I want to stay. I want to play as many games as possible. I've not really thought that far ahead to be honest. I'll just see how the next few weeks go and then we'll go over those conversations.
"I'll be able to sit down with them and see what's the best solution for that. But yeah, like you said there as well, obviously there's not a lot of time in football. You need to get the results and get the team progressing. So that's what we're working towards at the minute."