25 Apr 2026 16:07 BST |
4 min read
Brighton categorically reject the suggestion that Manchester United could get a cut-price deal for Carlos Baleba.
The Cameroon international’s future has been put under the microscope again in recent days. Following reports that Man City are leading the race for Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, Man Utd appear to have shifted their focus back onto Baleba.
The Red Devils already attempted to sign the 22-year-old last summer, but they were unable to break Brighton’s resolve. At the time, though, Baleba had agreed terms on a move to Old Trafford and clearly had his head turned by the interest.
Fast forward to April, and Baleba remains keen to join Man Utd. According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, all parties believe that last summer’s verbal agreement between the player and the club remains in force.
This greatly improves Man Utd’s chances of signing Baleba. However, they still need to convince Brighton to sell, and this is where problems could emerge for the Red Devils.
Brighton won’t sell Baleba cheaply
Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Man Utd correspondent Laurie Whitwell surmised that the Old Trafford club’s valuation of Baleba has dropped after what has been a fairly disappointing season for the midfielder.
Whitwell revealed that Man Utd will be reluctant to pay more than €58 million (£50m) for the 22-year-old, which is a far cry from some of the fees that were previously bandied about. Baleba used to be viewed as a €100m player.
Crucially, though, Whitwell acknowledged that the Seagulls are unlikely to play along at such a low valuation. This has now been confirmed by TEAMtalk, which claims that Brighton sources have made it clear that they won’t accept €58m for Baleba.
Senior figures at the club recognise that they won’t be able to get the desired €100m for the midfielder because he just hasn’t been the same player since the Man Utd saga began. They accept that they will have to compromise on a fee.
However, that doesn’t mean that they will offer Man Utd or any other suitors a cut-price deal. It is asserted that Brighton are confident that they will be able to get around €80m out of a deal for Baleba.
The report also calls into question the claims that there is already a deal between Baleba and Man Utd. “United sources have also played down claims that any agreement for the upcoming summer is already in place with the player,” it is stated.
The battle to sign Baleba remains open, even if Man Utd are the favourites for his signature.
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Man Utd Transfer News Today: €90m battle begins as ‘big’ Anderson bid revealed
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