Over the last few days, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba has become the primary target for Manchester United in their bid to revitalise their midfield this summer.
After the signing of Bryan Mbeumo it was confirmed that United would then look at a striker, midfielder, wing-back and goalkeeper, with Benjamin Sesko coming in as the striker.
Whilst no real movement has been made with regards to a wing-back, the likes of Emiliano Martinez, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Senne Lammens have all been linked to the goalkeeper role.
However, Baleba is the only real contender right now to step into the midfield department alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer.
Whilst there have been several reports recently, CentreDevils can confirm that Baleba is fully open to joining Manchester United with contact being made with his representatives already.
As such, The Red Devils are not worried about personal terms with the Cameroon international, once more targeting a player who is passionate about playing for United instead of someone who wants European football.
However, the real problem comes with club-to-club negotiations as Brighton don’t want to lose their star man.
Initially it was reported that Brighton were looking for a fee of over £87 million (€100 million) for Carlos Baleba, however they’ve increased this since receiving interest from United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Now, The Seagulls have increased their fee to £104 million (€120 million), which would be United’s most expensive signing this summer.
As such, it’s not yet known if this valuation puts the deal out of reach, or if an arrangement over instalments could make it still doable.
However, United aren’t giving up on their pursuit of the talented midfielder despite knowing Brighton’s valuation, giving hope to a fourth major signing this summer.
