Carlos Baleba is back at the centre of the market, with Brighton being quoted at around £60m-£65m and Manchester United no longer looking certain to push ahead. Newcastle are the club moving more aggressively into view. Baleba has 92 Premier League appearances for Brighton, but he is currently sidelined with an ankle ligament injury and will miss the start of the new season.
Newcastle's position on Baleba
Alex Crook, speaking on teamtalk.com, said Manchester United have been keen on Baleba for the last couple of transfer windows, but “at the moment it doesn't look like they are going to pursue that interest this time around.” He also said there is talk in the north east that Newcastle can get him for “a little at £65m”, although he added that he is not entirely convinced of that asking price.
That leaves Newcastle with a player who fits the brief better than a raw gamble. Carlos Baleba has already played 92 times in the Premier League for Brighton, so this is a midfielder with real top-flight mileage rather than a development project. His last five league games produced a 7.02 average rating and 352 minutes before the injury took him out.
Brighton's new asking range
Craig Hope said Baleba is on Newcastle's list and that it is “not an active transfer”, while also reporting that Brighton are willing to listen to offers of around £60m-£65m. That is a long way from last summer, when Brighton were said to want north of £100m.
Brighton's 2025 Premier League finish was eighth, which helps explain why they can still hold a strong line even after the price talk has eased. Newcastle finished 12th in 2025 and have already signed two midfielders this summer in Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba, but they still want an experienced Premier League option after losing key players and replacing them with younger recruits.
If United stay out, Newcastle become the club best placed to test Brighton's new number. The injury does not kill the story, but it does mean any move would be about next season rather than an immediate fix.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
