Manchester United are reportedly exploring a January move for Brighton’s £115million-rated midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The 21-year-old, who was also of interest to the Old Trafford club in the summer, remains high on their list of priority transfer targets – as reported by Daily Mail Sport.
And according to Sky Sports, United have now ‘explored the conditions of a potential move for him in January’, adding that Brighton’s stance has remained the same – that Baleba is not for sale.
It would take a club record fee if United were to meet the asking price set by the Seagulls when they made tentative enquiries in August.
They told United the young Cameroonian could only leave for a fee of £115m, which would eclipse the £89m spent on Paul Pogba in 2016.
Baleba’s current deal runs until 2028 and has the option of a year-long extension.
The long-term contract puts Brighton in a strong selling position and they would be able to command a huge fee for the athletic midfielder. After the links to Man United in the summer, Baleba’s form at the start of the season was not up to his usual standards.
But he has gradually produced the level of performances that made him stand out to United and other top clubs last term.
United are ‘also looking at younger talents like Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis’, according to Sky reporter Danyal Khan.
As Daily Mail Sport has previously reported, Baleba is among United’s midfield primary targets.
But Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is understood to top the list, although the England international is unlikely to be available until the summer.
Ruben Amorim’s side are also keeping tabs on Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace and Wolves’ Joao Gomes.
Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams is also a name that has cropped up in conversations over United’s potential midfield targets at around £40m.
It seems unlikely that United will be able to get a huge deal over the line in the January window. Indeed, Amorim has claimed they are not looking to make any signings. But United could well be laying the foundations for a summer switch for Baleba.
The club splashed out £225million last summer on the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
With high earners Casemiro, Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho all out of contract at the end of the season, and Marcus Rashford’s £325,000-a-week deal potentially disappearing if he completes a permanent move to Barcelona, United could trim as much as £1 million per week from their wage bill.
The cost-cutting measures and redundancies instigated by Sir Jim Ratcliffe resulted in an operating profit of £13.3m and a forecast for full-year revenues of £640m-£660m.
Selling Alejandro Garnacho and Antony while loaning out Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund also helped United to raise revenue and drive down the wage bill by a total £6.6m to comply with profit and sustainability rules.
Although the club are now understood to be well within PSR limitations, the numbers would still have to add up before United could pay a substantial fee for a big signing in January.
