Newcastle emerge as rivals to Man Utd for Brighton's Carlos Baleba with window closing

Newcastle United have emerged as serious competition for Manchester United in the pursuit of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with the summer transfer window entering its final two weeks.

Baleba has been a long-term target for United, who were linked with a £100 million move for the Cameroon international last summer before Brighton’s asking price ended negotiations. Despite signing Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee and Andrey Santos from Chelsea as part of a combined £85m outlay this summer, manager Michael Carrick is still seeking a third central midfielder following Casemiro’s departure.

Newcastle’s interest has been accelerated by a difficult summer in the transfer market. The Magpies have lost both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes — to Tottenham and Arsenal respectively — and have so far failed in attempts to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Marseille and Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. According to The Athletic, sporting director Ross Wilson is now exploring younger alternatives, with Baleba having been mentioned in internal recruitment discussions at the club.

The 22-year-old has made 112 appearances for Brighton since joining from Lille for £23.2m in August 2023. He has two years remaining on his contract, with Brighton holding an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Newcastle confirmed their sixth summer signing on Tuesday, with full-back Amar Dedic arriving from Benfica for £30m. Aladji Bamba from Monaco and Sean Steur from Ajax have also been brought in to strengthen midfield, but manager Matthias Jaissle acknowledged publicly that further additions are required.

“You all see the matches,” Jaissle said following a pre-season defeat by Everton. “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 Norwegian head coach tempered expectations for the start of the Premier League season, adding: “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.”

With Joe Willock also reportedly set to leave St James’ Park, Newcastle’s need for a proven central midfielder is pressing — and Brighton’s Baleba may yet become the solution both he and United are chasing.