Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has acknowledged that the club will entertain a “sensible” offer for midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Baleba was valued at over £100 million ($136.4 million) by Brighton last summer. United had shown interest in securing the 22-year-old’s signature, but were unwilling to match that valuation during a transfer window when other positions took precedence.
United have revived their pursuit of Baleba this summer, however, submitting an opening bid of approximately £60 million ($81.8 million), plus £5 million ($6.8 million) in add-ons.
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United are optimistic that a financial package of under £75 million ($102.3 million) can be reached, and Brighton chief Barber offered encouragement that a deal for Baleba is achievable when he indicated that “sensible” offers would be given consideration, as per the Manchester Evening News.
When pressed on United’s interest in Baleba by talkSPORT, he replied: “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 [Brighton facing Tromso in the UEFA Conference League].
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“So I’ve got 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 he has attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world now for a couple of years. So let’s see where we go.”
United’s summer expenditure has reached £85 million ($115.9 million) to date, with the club securing backup goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free transfer, acquiring Andrey Santos in a £50 million ($68.2 million) deal, and bringing in Youri Tielemans for £35 million ($47.7 million).
The total summer outlay could climb to approximately £160 million ($218.2 million) should a deal for Baleba be completed. United are also targeting a left-back before the Premier League transfer window shuts on September 1.
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