Latest Manchester United transfer news with an update on Carlos Baleba's future
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United could be prepared to spend a record-breaking £112million on Carlos Baleba this summer, it has been claimed. Ruben Amorim's side remains in the market for a new midfielder and the Brighton man has emerged as their top target for that position.
Reports claimed last week that United contacted Brighton through intermediaries to explore a potential move for Baleba. The Reds are understood to be among the several suitors and interest is building in the ex-Lille man, who has three years left on his contract at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton, meanwhile, do not want to sell him until at least next summer. The Seagulls signed Baleba for £27m plus add-ons in August 2023 and he has since taken the Premier League by storm.
While a move for Baleba might be difficult to strike unless United secure a raft of lucrative sales, an update from Foot Mercato journalist Nabil Djellit has suggested that the Reds might indeed get a deal done.
Djellit said that the record for the largest transfer in history for an African player - a feat still held by Nicolas Pepe following his £72m move to Arsenal from Lille in August 2019 - will be broken by Baleba.
It's added that 'they are talking about a package of £112m behind the scenes'.
Should United sign Baleba for a nine-figure transfer sum, he would become their most expensive transfer ever, eclipsing Paul Pogba's blockbuster £89.3m move from Juventus in August 2016.
Looking at how Baleba's move would rank in the Premier League's all-time biggest deal, he would slot into third place behind Moises Caicedo and Florian Wirtz. Caicedo left Brighton to sign for Chelsea in a £115m move two years ago, while Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m back in June.
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, hinted that he isn't worried about speculation around Baleba's future. Speaking on the 'Monday Night Club' podcast by the BBC, the Brighton boss said: "No chance. I don't feel fear. I'm not afraid of anything because the only thing we can do is be the best version we can be every day, like work as hard as we can. All the other things we can't influence, so we really have to focus on us.
"For sure, we can't spend the money like the big teams but one of our biggest values is togetherness. And if you stay together, if we try to push our limits and increase the boundaries, then I'm sure we can compete with the big teams."
Elsewhere, Brighton chief executive Paul Barber spoke about Baleba's future at a pre-season fan forum last Wednesday. As quoted by the BBC, he said: "There's always going to be interest in our players.
"Manchester United have not been in touch with me. Speculation is speculation.
"Carlos is a fantastic talent. We hope he'll be here for years to come - but its subject to the dynamics of the football world, which isn't always predictable."