Manchester United's stance on potential deal for Carlos Baleba comes to light as they learn Brighton's asking fee for the player: Reports

Manchester United's stance on a potential deal for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba has come to light. As reported by Sam Wallace of The Telegraph, the Red Devils are ready to drop their interest in the 21-year-old this summer.

The report claims that Brighton value Baleba at more than £100 million which is why the Red Devils are backing off. Ruben Amorim's side are reportedly not in a financial position to match the Seagulls' asking price for their priced asset.

Brighton would reportedly only listen to offers for Baleba this summer at around £115 million, similarly to what Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo. Given how strict the Profit and Sustainability Rules are, Manchester United cannot afford a deal for the Cameroon international.

The club's hierarchy has backed Ruben Amorim to a great extent this summer completely revamping their attack. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have been signed for a combined fee of over £200 million.

The club have Baleba as their primary target and believe that his value is only likely to rise in the years to come. However, they have no option but to backtrack from their interest in the young midfield dynamo as of now.

Baleba has been a revelation at the Amex Stadium following his €30 million move from Lille in 2023. He was brought in as the replacement for Moises Caicedo and has done incredibly well.

The 21-year-old has made 77 appearances over the last two seasons for Brighton while making 23 appearances for Lille before joining the Seagulls. The Manchester United target has caught the eye with his exceptional all-round game.

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Theo Walcott predicts the outcome of Manchester United vs Arsenal

Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has backed Arsenal to secure a victory against Manchester United in their opening game of the season. He has predicted a 1-0 wiin for Mikel Arteta's side with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the only goal of the game.

Speaking to It's Called Soccer podcast, the former England international backed the Arsenal defence to impress. He has claimed that the Gunners would break the Red Devils down on a counter-attack. He said:

“I will go for a 1-0 win for Arsénal and I’m going for a Martinelli goal. I think they’re going to expose United [with a] domination of having the ball and I just think it’ll be a break goal and Arsénal's defence [will be] pretty solid.”

He has also claimed that Arsenal should have signed Bryan Mbeumo years ago who has joined Manchester United this summer. He said:

"Mbeumo. Arsénal should have got him many years ago. And that was one player I just thought [would] take the load off Saka. I'm a big fan of his."

Arsenal and Manchester United have faced each other twice in 2025, with both games ending in 1-1 draws in normal time. The Red Devils, however, beat the Gunners 5-3 on penalties in the third round of the FA Cup.