Newcastle United are reportedly targeting Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, who was previously linked with Manchester United. According to the Mail, Baleba is on the transfer list of new Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle.
Baleba's Manchester United links
The Cameroon international was linked with the Reds for several weeks last season when Ruben Amorim was in charge. United decided his purported £75million price-tag was too steep for their budget, and he remained at the Amex Stadium.
This would have disappointed many United heroes, who regularly WhatsApp each other about Baleba, according to former Red Devil Quinton Fortune. With United signing Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Baleba is no longer on their radar.
Newcastle's midfield rebuild
Newcastle are rebuilding a midfield that has seen Sandro Tonali and club captain Bruno Guimaraes depart in the same transfer window. They have bought Monaco ace Aladji Bamba and Ajax youngster Sean Steur, but the Magpies' heart is short of midfield experience.
One issue with Baleba is his current injury. He injured his ankle ligaments and is a doubt for the beginning of the new Premier League campaign, which begins for Newcastle with a home battle against Liverpool on August 23rd.
High praise from United legends
Considering how highly rated Baleba was to United legends past and present, Jaissle may lobby the Newcastle board to sign him despite the injury. Fortune recently told Premier Bet: "In terms of talent, I cannot touch Carlos Baleba. He is unbelievable. I've seen him. I'm on the WhatsApp group with the other ex-players from Manchester United and we've all been speaking about him. Even Danny Welbeck, when he was at Brighton, was raving about him. There's no doubt he is talented, but for that sort of money, he needs to already be at a higher level for Manchester United."
Meanwhile, United are believed to be in the hunt for a third new central midfielder. Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid and Roma's Manu Kone are the two stars linked with Old Trafford throughout the summer. There is also the possibility of Michael Carrick remaining with his current options of Kobbie Mainoo, Tielemans and Santos, with Mason Mount dropping to defensive midfield, something Carrick has experimented with during pre-season.
