Premier League 'big six' club in need of midfield reinforcements? Look no further than Brighton and Hove Albion!
The Seagulls' exceptional, no-stone-unturned recruitment has long been a difference-maker for them in England's top flight.
Tottenham parted with £30 million to sign Yves Bissouma in summer 2022. Brighton also lost head coach Graham Potter to Chelsea that year, but they powered on to new heights under Roberto De Zerbi. Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister's wonderful performances were a key ingredient. Liverpool came calling for Argentine World Cup winner Mac Allister, paying an initial £35m for his services in June 2023, while Caicedo joined Chelsea for a gargantuan £115m deal two months later.
Two weeks after Caicedo's switch to Stamford Bridge, Albion completed the unheralded £23.2m signing of Carlos Baleba from Lille. He might just be the best of the bunch and could soon have a price tag to match.
MORE: How can Man United afford Carlos Baleba? Transfer spending explained amid PSR worries
How good is Carlos Baleba?
Baleba is considered one of the brightest talents not just in the Premier League but European football as a whole. It's no surprise, then, that as they power on with a summer rebuild under Ruben Amorim, Manchester United have designs on the player, although it is likely to take a fee in the region of Chelsea's outlay for Caicedo to get the deal done.
On August 6, The Athletic's David Ornstein reported United had made contact with Brighton via intermediaries to explore the possibility of signing the 21-year-old.
Given United's outlay in excess of £200m to bring in Matias Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko as attacking reinforcements, they will have to secure exits for wantaway stars such Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho to make the move for Baleba happen.
Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are United's current central midfield options, while there is more chance of Bruno Fernandes being deployed deeper in Amorim's preferred 3-4-2-1 setup after the arrivals of Cunha and Mbeumo.
Carlos Baleba best position
Baleba is an all-action, ball-winning central midfielder and is being targeted by United for this purpose.
On occasion, he has played at centre-back and his ball-carrying ability would feasibly make him a candidate to feature as an alternative in Amorim's back three.
Carlos Baleba contract
Brighton are in a strong position in the Baleba negotiations. The player has three years remaining on his contract, which runs until June 2028.
There is an option for a further year. According to Capology, Baleba is on a basic wage of £12,500 per week.
Carlos Baleba Brighton stats
Baleba has made 77 appearances across all competitions for Brighton, scoring four goals.
However, it is statistics that measure breaking up opposition play and driving his own team forward where he excels.
The Opta rankings collated below are drawn from all midfielders who played in the Premier League in 2024/25.
Carlos Beleba 2024/25 Premier League stats
| Number | Ranking | |
| Interceptions | 46 | 5th |
| Recoveries | 197 | 5th |
| Tackles | 79 | =18th |
| Tackles won | 46 | 17th |
| Total carries | 415 | 18th |
| Progressive carries | 200 | 18th |
| Progressive carries +10 | 87 | 20th |