Carlos Baleba immediately causing a stir sends clear message to Man Utd dressing room

According to The Athletic, initial contact has been made with Brighton, though any potential deal would likely require player exits due to United’s heavy summer investment.

Since joining from Lille in 2023, the 21-year-old has impressed with his performances.

Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana, who trained alongside a young Baleba at Lille, recalled the midfielder’s fierce mentality and relentless drive when he was promoted to senior sessions.

Onana told the Inside Scoop: “When I arrived, he was playing with the B team. I just saw a strong kid, he’s the strongest kid I’ve ever seen. Jacked! He used to come up [to train with the first team] and be free, he’d bully the pros.

“He’s done his thing and I always knew he had what it takes to get to the high level. He’s a really good kid, really humble, works hard.”

Brighton could ask for as much as £100m for Baleba, who still has three years left on his contract with the club.

Man United are believed to value him for around £70m and it’s been suggested that Baleba might request Brighton to reduce their asking price. Regardless, United will need to sell players before stumping up such a fee.

Brighton’s chief executive, Paul Barber, has addressed the speculation around Baleba. Speaking at a fans’ forum via BBC Sussex, he said: “We’ve got some great talent, there’s always going to be interest in our players.

“Manchester United have not been in touch with me. So from that point of view, speculation is speculation. We will always try to make sure we sell our best players at the right time, not just for the player but for us.

“If we end up doing that with any player, it’s with the view to leave Fabian [head coach Hurzeler] with a very competitive squad, whatever happens. We don’t want to sell our best players.

“Carlos is a fantastic talent who has a lot of years ahead of him. We hope he will be here for many years to come. But it’s something that, as always, is subjective to the dynamics of the football world, which isn’t always predictable.”