Manchester United Target Carlos Baleba Idolises Paul Pogba
Manchester United have made contact with Brighton & Hove Albion, via intermediaries, to explore the conditions of a deal for midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The 21-year-old, who has three years left on his Brighton contract, is emerging as one of the most highly-rated players in his position and Brighton do not intend to sanction a sale this summer.
But interest is building and United are among the many suitors, which has now been relayed through go-betweens.
Brighton made clear they favour keeping hold of the Cameroon international, who is under contract until 2028 with an option to extend by 12 months, for at least another year.
Carlos Baleba talked up three players he admired
Speaking in an interview earlier this year, he spoke about his ambitions to reach an incredibly high level set by two Champions League winners.
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Speaking to The Sun, he cited two Real Madrid stars, commenting: “I need to stay focused, stay calm, not rush, and not let what people write get in my head. If I keep working hard, I can be like Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, I just need to stay grounded.”
And despite his attempts to stay grounded, Baleba has incredibly high goals, helped by seeing City midfielder Rodri win the top individual honour in world football.
He said: “I want to win the Ballon d’Or like Rodri. I watched him during the Euros and before his injury I played against him and time I got the ball, he was right in front of me.
“His success has opened the door for midfielders like us to believe we can win the Ballon d’Or someday.”
Ex-United star Paul Pogba is Carlos Baleba’s first idol
His true idol is former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, according to comments he made in an interview back in 2022, when he was a teenager coming through at Lille.
Speaking to the club website, he explained: “I had a lot of idols that I watched on TV, especially in midfield: Paul Pogba at first, Kevin De Bruyne at second, and Thiago Alcantara at third. I watched them, I tried to imitate what they did. I never had any other dream than football.”
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