Man Utd handed major Carlos Baleba summer transfer boost after Brighton scouting mission

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Manchester United have seen Brighton slash their asking price for midfield target Carlos Baleba. The Red Devils are keen to sign a new midfielder this summer, with Casemiro set to depart at the end of his contract.

A number of Premier League stars have been identified as potential signings, with Brighton’s Baleba having long-term admirers at Old Trafford. The Seagulls previously wanted to bank around £100million for the Cameroonian - a price that proved to be too high for United chiefs.

But it appears that a deal could potentially be on the cards in the summer. According to The Sun , Brighton have already dropped their eye-watering price for Baleba, whose form has dipped significantly this season.

And they are already putting plans in place for when he eventually does leave, having scouted Ghana star Caleb Yirenkyi, who plays for Danish side Nordsaelland. Baleba, 22, remains under contract with Brighton until 2028.

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Seagulls CEO Paul Barber admitted in January that United had not made a fresh effort to sign Baleba. He said: "No call from Old Trafford. No call from anyone connected to Manchester United .

"We have no plans or desire to sell Carlos in this window, or in any future window, but we know he's a talented player, and he's got a lot of options ahead of him in the future.

"For us right now, he's an important player in the second half of the season, and we're looking forward to getting him back from AFCON."

Baleba is not the only option being looked at by United. Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson is among their targets and it was recently suggested that United had already 'accepted' that they may have to pay a lofty fee for his services. Newcastle duo Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have also been linked with moves to Old Trafford.

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But former United star Rio Ferdinand has a favourite. He said recently: “Beginning of the season everyone was talking about [Carlos] Baleba, he seems to have gone off the boil a little bit form wise.

“Elliot Anderson, he seems to have jumped to the front of the queue. I think he’s a wonderful player. I think Elliot Anderson is the right type not only of player but character, I think he’d be a good addition to the squad.

“Tonali is a big talent that everyone is talking about, Guimaraes is another big talent that everyone is talking about, but I just think the type of midfielder United need is somebody who is a bit more all-action, who can cover ground, who is dynamic, who is robust, strong, who can drive a team.

“Right now Anderson seems to be ticking those boxes. But I think there are a few other young guns out there who I won’t mention their names yet because I don’t want anyone else to get on that scent.”