Carlos Baleba to Newcastle ‘one to watch’ later in the window - Report
Well, it did not take long for us to get linked to another midfielder following news that Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has turned us down.
The Daily Mail's Craig Hope reports that Matthias Jaissle is an admirer of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, and that the 22-year-old is one of the names on our list of targets.
It's not an active deal; the Cameroon international is currently nursing an ankle injury, but our understanding is it's one to keep an eye on as the window rolls on.
Baleba has been a target of Manchester United since last summer, but the inflated £100m fee put them off. Now, with just two years left on his deal and his stock slightly down, Brighton could be willing to do a deal. Though, there are reports of an extra year in the contract.
That said, Brighton are notoriously hard to deal with, and will want to get the maximum they can. A midfielder is clearly a top priority alongside a right back, and Baleba would fit that bill.
What Craig Hope is reporting
Before we get too excited, Craig Hope is not giving this link any immediate “deal on” seal. Jaissle is thought to rate Baleba, the club has him on a list, and that’s about it. He’s currently injured, which would delay any move, but the Brighton man is someone we want.
Speaking about the state of the squad, Jaissle wasn't giving much away:
“I think you all see the matches. You're also smart enough to see the needs in the squad. We handle these things internally. We are aware of what we need. There's still some time.”
He also tried to manage expectations for the opener:
“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.”
At his unveiling press conference, Jaissle was keen to stress that he was aware the squad needed help. We have time, but the fanbase probably needs a win, and soon.
The price will be high, but is it a good deal?
The suggestion is that Baleba could cost £50m to £60m, which would make him a direct replacement fee-wise for Bruno G. That alone is a huge deal to consider for the club, and could be a huge risk.
But Baleba had a poor season last year; maybe his head was turned, and Brighton should have sold, but Newcastle could buy the dip, knowing he’s a force to be reckoned with when back to his best.
Would he be the right move?
Honestly, we are starting to get into the desperate stage. At this point, we are not likely to sign a player that will play before this weekend, which means at best any player gets one week of pre-season.
If the fee is decent, Baleba seems like a good deal for the deep midfield role, and a potential long term Joelinton replacement. The problem is, we still badly need attackers, while also needing full-back cover at the very least.
Basically, it needs to be a very busy few weeks in the transfer market, and we could do with the new manager deciding pretty quickly who he wants to bring in.
