Man Utd dealt Carlos Baleba problem as transfer hits second roadblock

Manchester United may have run into another problem in their pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion FC star Carlos Baleba. The Red Devils are pushing to bolster their midfield ranks during the final few weeks of the summer transfer window, but they may need to act swiftly if they are to secure their top target in that department.

United are very keen on Baleba and have remained in close contact with his entourage recently to explore whether a deal can be agreed before the window slams close. Brighton are insistent that the midfielder is not for sale, but the Red Devils are lying in wait in case their stance changes.

United's pursuit was handed an early blow when it emerged that the Seagulls would demand a fee in excess of £100million to sell the former Lille star this summer. Having sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115m in 2023, an offer in that region would be required to test their resolve.

Ruben Amorim's side are currently working to tight budgets, and the signing of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig means that the club are having to be even more wary of their finances during the next few weeks given their priority is not just signing a midfielder.

Brighton's mammoth asking price has not proven to be a deterrent at this stage, but United may need to be willing to cough up a potentially British transfer record fee sooner rather than later if they are to secure the signature of Baleba due to matters out of their hands.

Seagulls star Matt O'Riley is attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere in Europe, and Fabian Hurzeler's side will be reluctant to lose two key players just a matter of days before the 2025/26 campaign gets underway.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus have already reached a 'draft agreement' with the playmaker on personal terms, with a five-year contract also reportedly reached between parties. The Old Lady are yet to make an offer for the ex-Celtic star at this stage as they need to offload at least one player first to raise funds.

Therefore, the race may be on for United to get a deal over the line with Brighton before Juve burst into life in the transfer market by offloading one of either Douglas Luiz, Weston McKennie or Fabio Miretti and signing O'Riley - who has been in flying form for the Amex Stadium outfit in pre-season and had looked set for a significant role in Hurzeler's system next season.