After a prolonged negotiation with Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United now seem to be upping the speed at which they are completing transfers as the close of the window looms near.
United’s last pre-season game of the year against Fiorentina was used to show off new striker Benjamin Sesko, who has signed from RB Leipzig for £74 million. United and Newcastle both were pursuing the Slovenian striker, but Ruben Amorim’s side came out on top despite offering lower wages.
United’s next transfer target appears to be a defensive midfielder, and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is the club’s preferred choice. Most of United’s business this summer, with the exception of Sesko, has focused on Premier League-proven players as they are seen as less of a risk, and Baleba meets that requirement with 61 Premier League appearances under his belt.
Romano delivers weekend Baleba Update
On his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano revealed that United had been holding talks with Baleba’s party over the weekend. It would appear that United are being persistent in their pursuit of this deal and have been speaking “again and again”, as recently as Saturday, with the star’s camp.
At this stage, the talks mainly surround the player’s conditions for joining the club, including the contract and the salary. At the start of last season, Baleba was earning £12,500 a week at Brighton, so he could be receiving a major bump in pay should this move go through.
It currently looks like a major sticking point in the deal would be the club negotiations. Romano added that United are aware of Brighton’s stance and they know “It’s still not something advanced or concrete or easy, they know that the Brighton wall remains very high”.
Despite Brighton’s resistance, United still have hope, and Romano summarised the current situation by saying “as the player is not closing the door… Manchester United feel that they want to try”.
Brighton have become known as a club that identifies talent, develops them and sells them on for a profit. Some of their best work with this strategy can be seen in their defensive midfield department.
Bissouma
Caicedo
Baleba
Signed From
LOSC Lille
Independiente
LOSC Lille
Sold To
Tottenham
Chelsea
Manchester United?
Age Signed
21
19
19
Age Sold
25
21
21?
Price Signed
£15 Million
£4.5 Million
£23 Million
Price Sold
£25 Million
£100 Million
£115 Million?
(* For Reported Future Deals) (All Fees Are Base Excl. Add-Ons/Sell-Ons)
Data From The Athletic and TransferMarkt
The above table shows Brighton’s success in this market since 2018, when they signed Yves Bissouma. If Brighton receives the fee they want for Baleba, they’ll have made approximately £197 million in profit in seven years from defensive midfielders alone (excluding sell-on clauses and add-ons).
Although Brighton always command a high fee, both Bissouma and Moises Caicedo have been good transfers for their new clubs. Bissomua played the entirety of last season’s Europa League final, which saw Tottenham win their first major trophy since 2008, and Caicedo has won both the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
While United may struggle to sign Baleba this window without some major player sales or a shrewdly constructed deal, he may be worth going all out for next summer. The midfield seems like one of the last pieces of the team Amorim needs to fill, and with Brighton’s track record of development in this position, Baleba may be the missing piece.