Brighton CEO Paul Barber insisted the club will only sanction transfer exits that 'make sense for us financially' after Carlos Baleba was linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils have made it a clear priority this summer to strengthen their central midfield after the departure of Casemiro and a major injury to Manuel Ugarte. Andrey Santos was brought in from Chelsea for £48million with Youri Tielemans following from Aston Villa after his £35m release clause was activated. United have now turned their attention to Baleba and have reportedly lodged an initial bid of £60million plus £5m in add-ons for the Brighton midfielder.
Barber's stance on Baleba's potential exit
United initially approached Brighton last summer to try and sign Baleba, but saw their efforts swiftly rebuffed. However, a deal appears to be progressing this time around, with both clubs reportedly keen to finalise a deal for the 22-year-old Cameroon international.
While tight-lipped about any deal for Baleba, Barber suggested that Brighton have no qualms about considering offers for key players when the money is right. 'It's not something that I can talk about right now,' the Brighton CEO told talkSPORT when asked about United's interest in Baleba. 'I mean this time of year as you know 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 [Europa Conference League].
'So 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 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.'
Sherwood's assessment of the potential signing
Baleba's arrival at Old Trafford would add more depth to Michael Carrick's midfield, but former Premier League winner Tim Sherwood is not convinced that the 22-year-old's potential arrival is a 'game-changer' for the Red Devils.
'I'm not sure he's a game-changer signing, I wouldn't be that excited,' the former Tottenham player and manager told Sky Sports. 'I'm not falling off my chair if I'm a Man United fan about this signing. He's got a lot of developing to come, and the reason why his fee has gone down is because he was so poor last season. He's brought the fee down. But he's not a dud signing, that's for sure.
'And he's still got development in him but he's not finished. They've got a lot of young players that are not finished articles. Tielemans is and Kobbie Mainoo is still developing, so it's another option for Carrick.'
