Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba has reportedly ‘verbally asked’ his club to let him join Manchester United, while his agent has agreed to United’s proposal on personal terms.
United’s focus was always reportedly likely to switch to the midfield once they had fixed their striker problems. They had gotten Matheus Cunha early in the window for a wide role, and added Bryan Mbeumo to the other side not long after.
It took them longer to secure a striker, but they did so but signing Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, beating Premier League rivals Newcastle to the transfer.
While that was still ongoing, interest in Brighton’s Baleba was revealed, and the player himself seems to be angling for a move.
According to insider X account indykaila, not only does the midfielder want out of Brighton, but he has ‘verbally asked’ them to let him move to United.
His agent is also said to have ‘given the thumbs up’ on the offer of personal terms at Old Trafford if the Seagulls allow the midfielder to leave.
It is said that Brighton will not budge from their £100million valuation, so that’s what United have to reach if they’re going to have any chance of signing Baleba.
Whether they’ll be able to do that after spending around £200million on players already is a big question. There are still the potential exits of Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia to bring in some money.
Whether they would raise the funds needed to sign Baleba remains to be seen.
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But if the midfielder is not sold by Brighton in this window, it seems his value will continue to rise. While reports have placed the midfielder at the £100million mark, insider David Ornstein has suggested United haven’t been told that, but Brighton expect Baleba’s price to climb.
He said: ‘Brighton’s preference is to keep Carlos Baleba until at least summer 2026. Manchester United have made an enquiry via intermediaries and were not quoted a price. The Brighton hierarchy believe Baleba can be worth as much as Moises Caicedo one day, who the club sold to #CFC for £115m.’
The Seagulls have always known when they are able to demand a top price for their stars, with Caicedo the most famous example, alongside others such as Alexis Mac Allister, who with add-ons was said to potentially reach £55million, Marc Cucurella, who cost Chelsea £56million, and Robert Sanchez, who cost the Blues £25million.
