Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool show interest in Brighton's defender Carlos Baleba and midfielder Giovanni Leoni respectively.
Manchester United Eye Record-Breaking Move for Brighton's Carlos Baleba
Manchester United are reportedly exploring a move for Carlos Baleba, the Cameroon midfielder currently playing for Brighton and Hove Albion. The Red Devils are prepared to pay a transfer record for an African player to acquire the 21-year-old, according to sources.
Brighton, however, are adamant that Baleba is not for sale, and have set an asking price of approximately €120 million (about $139.4 million or £104 million) for his transfer. This valuation would make Baleba one of the most expensive African players in history if a transfer were to occur at that value.
Lille, Baleba's former club, are also entitled to 20% of any future transfer fee above €30 million due to a sell-on clause.
Manchester United's potential bid for Baleba is dependent on players being moved on, specifically Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund. Baleba himself has expressed interest in joining Manchester United if an agreement can be reached.
The asking price set by Brighton is considered steep compared to their original purchase price (£23.2m from Lille), but aligns with their trend of buying talent relatively cheaply and selling for high fees.
Meanwhile, Liverpool continue their pursuit of Crystal Palace's Marc Guéhi as their main defensive target. The Reds have sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen and Joe Gomez missed the final games of preseason with a minor Achilles injury, leaving Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté as the only established central defenders available for Friday's Premier League opener against Bournemouth.
In the race for Eberechi Eze, Tottenham have opened talks over a move for the Crystal Palace attacker. Eze's release clause expires on Friday, and Spurs can offer Champions League football to entice him, having won the Europa League last season. Arsenal need to make sales in attack before pressing ahead with their pursuit of Eze, and the delay from the Gunners has opened the door for Spurs to act on their long-standing interest.
Thomas Frank, the new Spurs manager, needs attacking additions after losing James Maddison to a long-term knee injury and missing out on the signing of Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White. Frank is also reportedly interested in Parma centre-half Giovanni Leoni, with several Serie A clubs, including Inter, showing interest in Leoni this summer.
Sources report that Leoni made 17 appearances in the second half of last season, and Liverpool are ready to step up their interest in him if he expresses interest in leaving Italy.
Baleba, who currently plays for Brighton, has three years left on his contract with an option to extend by 12 months. It remains to be seen if Manchester United can secure a deal for the highly-rated midfielder, or if they will turn their attention elsewhere in the transfer market.
References
[1] BBC Sport. (2023). Manchester United in talks to sign Brighton's Carlos Baleba. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65187688
[2] Sky Sports. (2023). Manchester United in talks to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. [online] Available at: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11681/12419871/manchester-united-in-talks-to-sign-brighton-midfielder-carlos-baleba
[3] The Telegraph. (2023). Brighton value Carlos Baleba at around £100m amid Manchester United interest. [online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/08/05/brighton-value-carlos-baleba-around-100m-amid-manchester-united/
[4] The Guardian. (2023). Manchester United to pay record fee for an African player to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/05/manchester-united-to-pay-record-fee-for-an-african-player-to-sign-carlos-baleba-from-brighton
Manchester United's proposed transfer for Brighton's Carlos Baleba could potentially break a record for the highest transfer fee paid for an African player. This move follows the club's interest in acquiring the 21-year-old midfielder who has expressed his desire to join Manchester United, should an agreement be reached. However, Brighton has valuated Baleba at around €120 million.
