Manchester United are determined to pursue a deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba this summer, and believe that personal terms will not be an issue with the player keen on the move.
Samuel Meade Sports Brand Writer and William Morgan Reporter
01:15, 12 Aug 2025
Carlos Baleba celebrating with Brighton
Brighton won't be willing to let go of Carlos Baleba for anything other than a huge payday(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United are confident that agreeing personal terms with Carlos Baleba won't be a stumbling block, as the player is eager for the move - however, it's still up in the air whether Brighton will be open to letting him go.
Last week, the Old Trafford team reached out through intermediaries to see if they could broker a deal for the Cameroon midfielder. Baleba has had a cracking season with the Seagulls and is now on the radar of several clubs.
Baleba's price tag is likely to hover around £100million - just under what Brighton asked for before they agreed to offload Moises Caicedo to Chelsea two summers ago. This comes as United just missed out on a cheaper alternative to Baleba, who could have saved the club £20 million.
United don't currently have that kind of cash to splash and knew from the get-go that landing Baleba would be a tall order. They've already forked out more than £200m to bring in players like Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo.
Carlos Baleba
Carlos Baleba is top of Manchester United's shopping list
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According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils will still try to seal the deal but are aware they might come up short. After securing Sesko's signature on Saturday, Ruben Amorim's focus is now on bolstering his midfield, reports the Mirror.
Brighton have already sold Joao Pedro to Chelsea, pocketing up to £60m, and will be reluctant to part ways with another key player, especially when there's less pressure to sell. Their CEO Paul Barber has dismissed rumours that United have even made contact and stressed that the Seagulls aren't keen on selling any more of their top talent.
He stated: "We've got some great talent, there's always going to be interest in our players. Manchester United have not been in touch with me. From that point of view, speculation is speculation.
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"We will always try to make sure we sell our best players at the right time, not just for the player but for us. If we end up doing that with any player, it's with the view to leave Fabian with a competitive squad, whatever happens. We don't want to sell our best players.
"Carlos is a fantastic talent who has a lot of years ahead of him. We hope he will be here for many years to come. But it's something that, as always, is subjective to the dynamics of the football world which isn't always predictable."