Newcastle have emerged as a potential competitor to Manchester United for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. There are just two weeks remaining in the summer transfer window and Baleba is one of the players attracting interest.
United's long-term target
Baleba is a long-term target for United, who was linked with a £100million switch to Old Trafford last summer. Ultimately, the Seagulls' high asking price scuppering any chance of the deal going ahead, but the midfielder is understood to be keen on the move.
United have spent a combined £85m this summer to bring in Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea. But manager Michael Carrick still wants a third arrival in central midfield following the departure of Casemiro.
Newcastle's midfield search
Meanwhile, Newcastle have sold Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to Tottenham and Arsenal respectively this summer and are also looking for reinforcements. They have failed in attempts to sign Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha and could turn to Baleba.
The Athletic reports that, while Newcastle ideally want to bring in a more experienced player, sporting director Ross Wilson is scouring the market for alternatives and may have to go younger. Baleba is admired by the Magpies' hierarchy and has reportedly been mentioned in internal recruitment discussions.
The Cameroon international is only 22 years old but has racked up 112 appearances for Brighton since joining from Lille for £23.2m in August 2023. He has two years left on his contract, but Brighton hold the option of extending it by 12 months.
Newcastle's summer business
Newcastle announced their sixth summer signing on Tuesday morning, with full-back Amar Dedic joining from Benfica for £30m. They have brought in Aladji Bamba from Monaco and Sean Steur from Ajax to bolster their midfield, but further additions - and experience - is needed, with Joe Willock reportedly set to leave.
"You all see the matches," Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle said after the pre-season defeat by Everton last week. "You are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad. We handle these things internally. We are aware of what we need. Let's see now. There is still some time."
The new Newcastle boss added: "If you make new signings at the end of the transfer window, they usually need time. Usually it takes time to adapt to the Premier League. Those are all things we consider, but we are all still positive. We all want to go in the right direction."
"For sure, we cannot be on the peak against Liverpool on the opening day. This is clear. We're just working now for a couple of days."
