Brighton chief refuses to address Baleba to Man Utd after huge update ‘today’
Brighton CEO Paul Barber has refused to address links between Manchester United and Carlos Baleba, with a transfer appearing very close.
United’s third midfield signing is close, with Baleba appearing to be the man they’re going for. The big-six club wanted the Brighton man last year, but were priced out.
Now that his asking price has dropped far below £100million, they’re closing in on the deal.
Indeed, reports suggest United are nearing a £65million transfer for Baleba. But the club’s CEO, Barber, is refusing to speak on the potential that he goes.
Barber told talkSPORT: “It’s not something that I can talk about right now.
“At this time of year, we’re always going to be subject to bids for our players, we are always going to be interested in ones that are sensible and that are going to make sense for us financially and economically.
“But we always have to balance that with making sure the squad is as strong as it can be to compete in competitions like the one we are in tonight [Conference League].
“So nothing to really say on Carlos at the moment other than he’s a hugely talented young midfielder who’s done really well for us and has attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world now for a couple of years. Let’s see where we go.”
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Fabrizio Romano drops Carlos Baleba latest
But multiple outlets suggest Baleba is closing in on becoming a United player, and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed an update on the pursuit.
He said: “The expectation is to see today, Thursday, for Man Utd returning to the table for negotiations and try close the deal for Carlos Baleba.
“So let’s see if it’s going to happen this week ahead of the Premier League opening matchday, but the deal is absolutely well underway for Baleba to Man Utd.
“There is an expectation they will reach an agreement quite soon. The agreement with the player is fully done and completed with his agents.
“The dream of the player is very clear – Baleba has been pushing and pushing to go to Man Utd.
“One year ago I told you the deal was not possible at that time because Brighton didn’t want to open doors for Baleba to join Man Utd.
“But I told you to keep an eye on 2026 because Man Utd are in love with the player, and they’ve decided to go for him.
“Now, the deal is on the right way and the expectation is to get it done.”
