Carlos Baleba’s injury could reboot his Brighton career | OneFootball

Carlos Baleba’s ankle ligament injury will likely rule him out at the start of the season, yet it could also dampen interest before the window shuts on the first of September.

The Athletic reports that Brighton do not see the issue as long term. Once fit, the 22-year-old will be central to Fabian Hurzeler’s plans.

Manchester United’s pursuit has cooled since last summer. They still admire him, though below Brighton’s valuation, and the club believe he can move on from a below-par 2025-26.

United explored a deal via intermediaries last August, hoping for about £60million and broadly agreeing personal terms, but Brighton wanted close to £115million, citing Moises Caicedo’s 2023 sale, so United withdrew on the eve of the season.

Brighton have listened to offers this summer, yet that valuation gap would still have been a hurdle despite his dip in form.

In 2024-25 he was a box-to-box force, playing 34 league games with 31 starts and producing three goals and an assist.

Last season he made 31 appearances with 23 starts and no goals or assists, missed five matches during AFCON with Cameroon, and lapses in concentration reduced his impact.

His build-up has again been disrupted, after a knee issue last summer and now this ankle blow. He played 45 minutes in a 4-1 win over Wycombe on 18 July at Lancing, then missed the 4-3 defeat of Strasbourg after limping out of training in Austria.

Signed from Lille in 2023 for just under £26million, he has two years left on his contract with a 12-month option. A return to 2024-25 levels when fit would benefit both player and club.

Source: NY Times

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”