Brighton's Carlos Baleba. Photo: Getty
The two clubs have not spoken directly about the player at a level that would suggest a deal is imminent with Baleba (21) currently priced above what United would be prepared to pay this summer. He is the midfielder that United’s Ineos hierarchy would wish to sign were they not operating within tight profit and sustainability lines already.
Brighton have made no moves to sell the player, who was a key part of their Premier League team last season, but as a trading club they would have to listen to offers at the kind of level that would get close to the club record £115m fee Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo. Owner Tony Bloom would, as ever, have the final say on acceptable price.
For United, Baleba is a player of great interest and is entering a period in his career where his value could conceivably climb again with another successful season – potentially putting him out of range. The club need a midfielder of his profile but ultimately it was decided to put the resources this summer into signing attacking players, culminating in the £73.7m deal to sign the Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko.
Brighton are in a strong position with such progress by the player early in his five-year deal which gives them the option of turning down offers this summer. There is an argument that United would be better served looking in the same European market for a player of similar promise, although few have done that as well as Brighton.
They also have a number of options for his potential successor. Baleba has missed much of Brighton’s pre-season with a knee injury sustained in June but it is expected that he will be match-fit in time for the first game of the season against Fulham, having returned to training.
Baleba will at some point be the next major Brighton sale given the range of his ability and the impact he made last season. He was another astute pick uncovered in France by the club’s data analytics in the 2022-23 season.
Alejandro Garnacho looks to be on his way out of Manchester United
He was signed on the basis of just 21 senior Ligue 1 appearances for Lille, as well as 13 games for Lille B in the French fifth tier – the sum total of his European football experience at that point having left Cameroon in January 2022. His great appeal is his ball-winning skills as well as the energy and guile that means he can break out of midfield. His adaptability across a number of positions, and his left foot preference, also raises the premium on him.
United must make sales as well, with both Liverpool and Chelsea having done so effectively this summer – and Manchester City in previous years. Currently, United and Chelsea are some distance apart on their valuation of Alejandro Garnacho, the Madrid-born Argentina international, one of those cast out by Ruben Amorim. The 21-year-old is valued at around £30m by Chelsea with a lower bid from Bayer Leverkusen in the previous January window as a benchmark.
There is also hope that Rasmus Hojlund might generate a fee, although the Italian market for him is currently offering loans.