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Manchester United give up pursuit of £115m-rated Premier League star
Manchester United are ready to accept Carlos Baleba is not for sale this summer, talkSPORT understands. United remain keen to sign Baleba but are unlikely to make any formal approach to Brighton unless they are given encouragement the Seagulls are open to offers. Brighton have issued a hands-off approach to interested parties for the moment…Getty Meaning United will have to wait another year to try and make a play for the starGetty As previously reported, Brighton owner Tony Bloom wants to keep Baleba for at least one more season. Bloom believes Baleba will eventually be worth as much as £115m Moises Caicedo. Should that valuation remain intact next summer, it means the Red Devils will need to stump up a fee that would set the record for the highest fee ever paid in the Premier League. That figure stands at £116m, which was what Liverpool shelled out to Bayer Leverkusen to snap up Florian Wirtz. Brighton boss Hurzeler speaks out Another figure down south who believes Baleba will remain a Seagull is Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler. Speaking ahead of Brighton’s season opener against Fulham on Saturday, Hurzeler was ‘very, very, very confident’ Baleba would remain with the club this window. “I didn’t see any change, he only changed his hair,” Hurzeler said. “He is enjoying being a Brighton player.” Baleba arrived at the Amex Stadium in the summer of 2023 from French outfit Lille in a deal worth approximately £23m. The Cameroon international has gone on to make 77 appearances for Brighton, with 61 of those coming in the Premier League. AFPBaleba has come on in leaps and bounds since he joined Brighton two years ago[/caption] Last term, Baleba showed off his remarkable defensive capabilities as he racked up the seventh-most ball recoveries in the Premier League, winning the ball back 197 times from 34 fixtures. The 21-year-old also averaged over two tackles per game, cementing his status as one of the premier ball-winners in the English top flight. Why are United after Baleba? United’s pursuit of Baleba comes as boss Ruben Amorim looks to upgrade on Casemiro. The 33-year-old Brazilian’s contract at Old Trafford expires in 2026 and United are keen to replace the five-time Champions League winner with a player equally adept at robbing the opposition of the ball. In fact, Casemiro was one of the few midfielders who averaged more tackles per game than Baleba last term. Although United may have swung and missed on Baleba this summer, it has still been a window full of activity for the Red Devils. United stand to lose Casemiro at the end of next seasonGetty Amorim has revamped his attack at great cost as Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have all joined. Sesko was the marquee arrival of the trio, costing United a whopping £73m to snap him up from RB Leipzig. He will also don the number 30, which he has worn throughout his career. United supporters will get their first glance at the new-look attack on Sunday as they host Arsenal for their season opener, with kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm.
Manchester United are ready to accept Carlos Baleba is not for sale this summer, talkSPORT understands.
United remain keen to sign Baleba but are unlikely to make any formal approach to Brighton unless they are given encouragement the Seagulls are open to offers.
As previously reported, Brighton owner Tony Bloom wants to keep Baleba for at least one more season.
Bloom believes Baleba will eventually be worth as much as £115m Moises Caicedo.
Should that valuation remain intact next summer, it means the Red Devils will need to stump up a fee that would set the record for the highest fee ever paid in the Premier League.
That figure stands at £116m, which was what Liverpool shelled out to Bayer Leverkusen to snap up Florian Wirtz.
Brighton boss Hurzeler speaks out
Another figure down south who believes Baleba will remain a Seagull is Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler.
Speaking ahead of Brighton’s season opener against Fulham on Saturday, Hurzeler was ‘very, very, very confident’ Baleba would remain with the club this window.
“I didn’t see any change, he only changed his hair,” Hurzeler said.
“He is enjoying being a Brighton player.”
Baleba arrived at the Amex Stadium in the summer of 2023 from French outfit Lille in a deal worth approximately £23m.
The Cameroon international has gone on to make 77 appearances for Brighton, with 61 of those coming in the Premier League.
Last term, Baleba showed off his remarkable defensive capabilities as he racked up the seventh-most ball recoveries in the Premier League, winning the ball back 197 times from 34 fixtures.
The 21-year-old also averaged over two tackles per game, cementing his status as one of the premier ball-winners in the English top flight.
Why are United after Baleba?
United’s pursuit of Baleba comes as boss Ruben Amorim looks to upgrade on Casemiro.
The 33-year-old Brazilian’s contract at Old Trafford expires in 2026 and United are keen to replace the five-time Champions League winner with a player equally adept at robbing the opposition of the ball.
In fact, Casemiro was one of the few midfielders who averaged more tackles per game than Baleba last term.
Although United may have swung and missed on Baleba this summer, it has still been a window full of activity for the Red Devils.
Amorim has revamped his attack at great cost as Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have all joined.
Sesko was the marquee arrival of the trio, costing United a whopping £73m to snap him up from RB Leipzig.
He will also don the number 30, which he has worn throughout his career.
United supporters will get their first glance at the new-look attack on Sunday as they host Arsenal for their season opener, with kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm.
