Manchester United were heavily linked with Brighton star Carlos Baleva in the summer window but were unable to break his contract with the Seagulls and he opted to remain at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton chairman Tony Bloom has revealed that he has told Manchester United in no uncertain terms that Carlos Baleva is not for sale. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the Cameroonian this summer as Ruben Amorim looks to strengthen his midfield options.
Brighton reportedly want to come up with around €120m (£104.6m) to sell Baleva, but United had no intention of reaching this figure. Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom provided insight into the latest negotiations, claiming United quickly reduced interest after being told the midfielder was off the market.
Speaking to The Argus, he said: “I don’t think Baleva was a legend. There was some interest from Manchester United, but we said he wasn’t available this summer and they left.”
“So we’ve had a lot of bigger stories in the past. But Carlos Bareva, his development has been immeasurable. He’s a very important player for this football club and we’re very happy that he’s with us this season.”
Baleva, 21, ended up staying at Brighton, with his contract running until 2028. If he had left, he would have followed in the footsteps of players such as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard and Roberto Sanchez.
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But Bloom insists the Seagulls cannot be described as a selling club. He added: “I don’t consider ourselves a selling club, because I think every club, almost every club, is a selling club.”
“So I’m talking about their best players leaving, because that’s just the football ecosystem. And we know that other clubs are paying much higher salaries than us. We can’t do that.”
“So when a player has the opportunity to go to a really big club and they offer a huge amount of money, it has to be the right time for the club.
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“It has to be a reasonable transfer fee. But of course we allow players to be released. It happens across the board. Sometimes it’s more difficult. Negotiations are more difficult than other times. But again, it’s no different from any other club.”
Brighton have had a mixed start to the season under manager Fabian Hürzeler. They are in 12th place with two wins in their opening seven league games.
Meanwhile, United appear to have shifted their focus to alternative targets in midfield, including Borussia Dortmund star Jobe Bellingham.
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