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Carlos Baleba’s price revealed as Man Utd tax strikes again
Robin Bairner
- 7 Aug 2025 06:51 BST
- 4 min read
News
Manchester United are already plotting their next move after the Benjamin Sesko saga is over, with Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba appearing on their radar.
The south coast side have denied that the Red Devils have made an offer for the Cameroon youngster, but United have been on the lookout for an additional defensive midfielder since the start of the summer.
Baleba ticks boxes for head coach Ruben Amorim. He is faster than either Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte, so better able to cover ground in the 3-4-3 system that he employs, while the 21-year-old had an excellent season in the Premier League with Brighton last time out.
Current ETV
Benjamin Sesko
F (C)
RB Leipzig
Benjamin Sesko
F (C)
RB Leipzig
ETV Range
€62.7M - €76.6M
Brighton’s Baleba asking price
Man Utd face a challenge if they are to sign Baleba, largely due to Brighton’s big asking price.
The 21-year-old will only leave the AmEx Stadium for more than €120 million (£100m), according to TBR Football.
Given that his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €55.3m, Amorim’s side are, therefore, being asked to pay a huge premium.
It appears that the Man Utd tax is striking again. This is the idea that clubs can easily force the Red Devils to overpay when in transfer negotiations.
The phenomenon has been regularly apparent in the past. Perhaps the most notable example was when Ajax sold them Antony for €95m.
Even this summer, United are liable to dramatically overpay for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, while Brentford outmanoeuvred them in the Bryan Mbeumo negotiations.
Door opened for a dealBrighton have denied that any bid from Old Trafford has been made for Baleba yet, but they did not rule out a sale.
Speaking to fans, CEO Paul Barber said: “We have some great talent. There's always going to be interest in our players.
“Manchester Utd have not been in touch with me so from that point of view speculation's speculation.
“We will always as I said earlier try and make sure that we sell our best players at the right time not just for the player but also for us and if we end up doing that with any player it is with a view to leaving Fabian with a very competitive squad whatever happens but we don't want to sell our best players.
“Carlos is a fantastic, fantastic talent. He's got a lot of years ahead of him and we hope he will be here for many years to come but it's something that as always is subject to the dynamics of the football world that is not always predictable.”
This claim contradicts information from The Athletic, which reports Man Utd have been in touch with Brighton via intermediaries to broker a deal for Baleba.
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