Brighton Should Leverage Manchester United's Interest in Carlos Baleba
Warren Aspinall believes Brighton should be ready to turn Manchester United’s interest in Carlos Baleba to their own advantage – by pushing for Mason Mount to head the other way.
The former Albion midfielder, speaking on the Albion Unlimited podcast, floated the idea as United’s long-running admiration for Baleba threatens to resurface.
A stalled move, a stalled season
Baleba spent much of last season wrestling with expectation and his own form under Fabian Hürzeler. A heavily touted switch to Old Trafford in the summer of 2025 never materialised, and his performances dipped just as Brighton needed his drive through midfield.
United, though, never fully disappeared from the background. They remain the only club with firm links to the 20-year-old, even after a flurry of recent business in the middle of the pitch.
Aspinall’s view is clear: if United come back for Baleba, Brighton should ask a big question in return.
“I was thinking – if Baleba did go to Manchester United then I'd see if I could get Mason Mount as part of the deal,” he said.
Mount squeezed by United’s midfield reshuffle
Mount’s own story at Old Trafford has been no smoother. Since arriving from Chelsea in 2023, he has struggled to find rhythm or fitness, and now faces an even more crowded route to the starting XI.
United have just brought in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, with both expected to feature heavily alongside Kobbie Mainoo. That trio alone, Aspinall argues, pushes Mount towards the margins.
“He's not going to be in the side because they've just signed two midfield players in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos,” he said. “Those two and Kobbie Mainoo will be starters, so where does that leave Mount? They have good players coming through in the likes of Tyler Fletcher.”
In that context, the idea of Mount seeking a reset in a more expressive, possession-based Brighton side starts to sound less fanciful and more like a calculated opportunity.
Brighton’s dilemma: cash in or rebuild Baleba?
There is still every chance, though, that Baleba stays put. United’s midfield is suddenly packed. Brighton have no need to sell. And if no acceptable offer lands, Hürzeler’s task becomes very simple, in Aspinall’s eyes: fix Baleba.
“For Baleba, the manager has to sit him down in a one-to-one situation and say, ‘look, just get your head down, do what you did not last season but the season before, and they will all come for you then’,” Aspinall said.
The praise that follows is pointed. This is not a squad player Brighton can quietly move on.
“They would all be after him because he's excellent. He's strong, powerful, breaks the lines very well. It was easy for him in certain games.”
The suggestion is that the failed United move got inside the midfielder’s head. The promise of Old Trafford, the wages, the profile – all of it can distract a young player who suddenly sees a different career path opening up.
“Sometimes you get a sniff from a club like Manchester United and you start to think about that big move and big payday but it has not happened,” Aspinall said. “You have to get your head down, go again, and see where it takes him.”
The heartbeat of Brighton’s midfield
Strip away the speculation and Aspinall’s bottom line is blunt. If Baleba stays, he has to become the engine of Brighton’s season again.
“If he does stay he needs to knuckle down and he can have a great season at Brighton,” he said. “If he plays well, Brighton play well because he wins that midfield battle. If he is at the top of his game he makes his team-mates believe.”
That is the calculation facing Brighton now. Hold on to a powerful, line-breaking midfielder and bet on Hürzeler to restore his edge? Or, if United finally come calling with serious money, push for a deal that could bring an England international like Mount into the Amex dressing room?
One way or another, Brighton’s midfield looks set to define more than just their style this season. It may decide how bold the club dares to be in the next phase of their rise.
