Manchester United may have moved one step closer to landing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The Red Devils explored a deal in the summer, with The Athletic reporting in August that they had contacted the Seagulls via intermediaries regarding the 21-year-old.
It followed a summer of strong investment at Old Trafford, with Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens all joining for significant sums.
Brighton move gives Manchester United boost in Carlos Baleba chase
It transpired weeks later, via the same outlet, that United had called off the pursuit after Fabian Hurzeler’s side confirmed they were looking for a deal in the same ballpark as Moises Caicedo’s £115 million move to Chelsea in 2023.
Given the money already spent, and Manchester United’s own valuation of Baleba, it the club kept its powder dry, but Brighton’s latest move may see them come to the negotiating table more readily in the next window.
Based on a report from Fussball Transfers, Brighton are considering a move for FC Nordsjaelland midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi.
The Ghana international is a product of the Right to Dream system, who have a base in Ghana along with owning the Danish club.
The report states that the 19-year-old, who is believed to be available for €15m-€20m, is being considered as a Baleba replacement.
With a back-up plan in place, it could make the Seagulls more open to allowing Baleba to leave, and stop them setting his price tag prohibitively high, as they are able to do with a contract running until 2028, with an optional additional year.
Brighton may need to move quickly, however, as both Bournemouth and Arsenal are said to be tracking Yirenkyi, according to the Daily Mail.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brighton’s interest in Yirenkyi set off a chain reaction that led to Baleba leaving the south coast.
This is how Brighton operate: sign cheap, develop and platform in the Premier League, then sell when a player’s value is the highest.
They may have mistimed that last part slightly with Baleba, who is having a difficult season following a summer of speculation, but they are still sure to book a significant profit on the Cameroonian when it comes to selling.
Yirenkyi is valued at €6m, according to Transfermarkt.
