Newcastle United could reportedly hijack Manchester United’s pursuit of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, potentially teeing up a furious transfer battle for the £100million-rated star.
The Magpies have already lost out to the Red Devils on one top target this summer – striker Benjamin Sekso – who has completed a £74million move to Old Trafford.
While the speculation surrounding Newcastle’s star striker Alexander Isak rumbles on, Eddie Howe’s team are looking at various targets ahead of the coming season.
CaughtOffside reports that Baleba, 21, is the ‘priority target’ for Man Utd for what remains of the transfer window, but Newcastle are also considering a move for the midfielder.
It’s claimed that Newcastle are currently in the ‘observation phase’ of a potential move for Baleba, who is valued at £100m by Brighton, while Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City are also admirers.
Whether a transfer develops could come down to whether Brighton reduces their demands for Baleba, but they are under no pressure to do so given he’s contracted until 2028, and they have the option to extend it by another year.
Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd remain the frontrunners for Baleba, though, even if Newcastle would no doubt love to get one over their Premier League rivals after missing out on Sesko.
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Carlos Baleba is keen to join Man Utd – sources
TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Dean Jones revealed on August 8 that Man Utd believe Baleba wants to join them after the club initiated talks over a potential transfer.
“Man Utd are keen on identifying and acquiring standout talent from smaller top-flight clubs to bolster their push for Champions League football – and eventually a Premier League title charge,” Jones exclusively reported for TEAMtalk.
“The English giants set the tone when they moved decisively to land Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Matheus Cunha from Wolves, both of whom had their heads turned before deals were struck.
“TEAMtalk understands that there is confidence within Old Trafford that Baleba has undergone a similar shift in mindset.
“Brighton are notoriously tough negotiators, and a deal this summer is seen as complex, but Man Utd wanted to get to the front of the queue and do not believe it would be impossible to sign the youngster.
“The current £100m (€115.3m, $134.5m) valuation of the 21-year-old Cameroon international midfielder has not deterred Man Utd, with discussions around payment structure potentially an avenue opening the door for any negotiations.”
With this in mind, if Baleba is to leave Brighton then Man Utd is his most likely destination, but the possibility of other clubs such as Newcastle joining the race can’t be discounted.
Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2023 for £25million and the defensive midfielder has made 77 appearances to date for the Seagulls, notching four goals and two assists in the process.
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