Brighton star Carlos Baleba appeared to hint at his failed move to Manchester United in a deleted social media post on Saturday.
The highly-rated midfielder took to Instagram hours before the Seagulls’ trip to Old Trafford and shared a graphic promoting the game.
2
His caption read: “Coming to Old Trafford” – and was accompanied by a laughing face emoji.
Baleba deleted the post within minutes and reposted it without a caption, but not before screenshots of the original message began circulating on social media.
The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils during the summer transfer window.
Man United expressed their interest in Baleba but relented when Brighton demanded £115m.
The Pitch Prospect understands that the Seagulls expect the Cameroonian to receive a higher fee than the record-breaking £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo if they ultimately decide to sell.
That was after an extraordinary 2024/25 season, but then Baleba started the current season noticeably slowly.
He was substituted several times before the second half and coach Fabian Hurzeler even admitted that the transfer speculation had turned Baleba’s head.
“If a young boy reads that there is interest from Manchester United with a big, big offer, it could hit him deep inside,” the Brighton manager said in September.
“That’s also part of the development, understanding that if you play well, a big offer will come, a big club that wants him.
“But then to keep pushing, to be humble, to stay here at Brighton and try to take the next step with the team and we have to keep working on that with him.”
2
“I can’t give you a clear answer as to whether it really affects him or not. But certainly he’s a little boy and we have to understand that he’s not a machine that, when you click, always runs and starts and then stops.”
“We have to understand his feelings and emotions, where he’s coming from, and that’s our responsibility.”
Baleba returned to form in the 2-1 win over Newcastle last weekend.
“I saw a Carlos Baleba who has improved,” said Hurzeler before the game against Man United.
“Those were good deeds and good behaviors that he exhibited, but he needs to turn those good behaviors into habits.”
“This is the next step in his development to give continuity to his performance.”