Carlos Baleba still wants Manchester United, but the move is on hold because Brighton are expected to demand closer to £100m. United were reportedly prepared to spend £75m, yet no official bid materialised. Baleba is under contract until 2028, which leaves Brighton in a strong position while the clubs wait.

Brighton's price for Baleba

That valuation is not being plucked from nowhere. Brighton finished 8th in the Premier League with 53 points, a 6-goal difference and a 14-11-13 record, and they have no obvious reason to make life easy on a midfielder they can sell as a premium asset.

Baleba's form gives them more cover to hold firm. He averaged 7.06 across his last five league matches, played 352 minutes in that span and posted a 7.2 rating in his most recent Brighton outing. For a club asking £100m, that is the sort of recent output that helps the argument.

United have put the brakes on

Ben Jacobs was clear that the player side has not shifted. Speaking to goal.com, he said: "If they're prepared to meet the asking price, they could again do it relatively quickly because he is in a scenario like Youri Tielemans, where he said last summer he only wants Manchester United, and the player's perspective hasn't changed. So if they come calling, personal terms will not be a problem."

He also explained why nothing has moved yet: "They could get the player buy-in, which means that they could get that singular negotiation with Brighton instead of a bidding war. But we're just not at that stage yet because it's Manchester United that have put the brakes on as they assess who this third midfielder is going to be."

United finished 3rd in the Premier League with 71 points, a 19-goal difference and a 20-11-7 record, so this is not a panic buy. It looks more like a squad-building decision, with the club deciding whether Baleba is the third midfielder they want to commit that kind of money to. The next real step is whether United reopen the chase, or leave Brighton to keep pointing at that £100m figure.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →