Manchester United have been in talks with Brighton for more than a month about a move to sign Carlos Baleba this summer, according to a report.
United are in the market for a new midfielder in the summer transfer window, and may even look to add two new midfield players, with Casemiro leaving the club at the end of his current contract.
A number of big-name players have been linked, with the likes of Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Sandro Tonali understood to be high on the Red Devils' wishlist alongside Baleba.
Manchester United Open Talks With Brighton
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
But the Brighton star has long been admired by those behind the scenes at Old Trafford, with United attempting to sign him last summer.
Indeed, the Athletic reported last summer that Baleba had 'agreed personal terms' to make the move to Old Trafford, although the clubs were unable to agree a fee for his services.
The 22-year-old has not had his best season on the south coast in comparison to the previous two campaigns he enjoyed upon his arrival in the Premier League, but that has not deterred United in their attempts to sign him.
And he has once again emerged as the No.1 candidate to replace Casemiro, with reports earlier in the week that the Red Devils were in pole position to sign him this summer.
Now it has emerged via a United insider account that the club has been in talks with Baleba and his camp for the past month as they step up their interest in the Cameroonian international.
Personal terms are unlikely to be a problem, given the agreement the club and player reached last summer, with talks still ongoing between representatives ahead of the summer transfer window opening.
Brighton were demanding a figure in the region of £100million last summer and that price tag is unlikely to change too much this summer, although there were reports he could be available for around £75million this time around.
Brighton Stance Changes On Carlos Baleba Transfer
baleba brighton
Speaking during the January transfer window, Brighton CEO Paul Barber said: "No call from Old Trafford. No call from anyone connected to Manchester United.
“We have no plans or desire to sell Carlos in this window, or in any future window, but we know he's a talented player and he's got a lot of options ahead of him in the future.”
United are going to have to splash the cash for whoever they make a move for this summer, with the other candidates in Wharton, Anderson and Tonali in a similar ballpark for overall transfer price.
The final decision on midfielder signings will come down to who the new manager will be at the end of the 2025/26 season, with other reports emerging that United were working on a deal to sign Tonali and that the Newcastle United star was open to the move.
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It would be a huge transfer coup