Liverpool are going to have to spend a massive sum of money to sign Brighton star Carlos Baleba this summer as the Seagulls are under no pressure to sell.
While the Reds have been dominating the Premier League, they have also been keeping a very close eye on its best players as they prepare for Arne Slot’s first major transfer window.
Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth looks like a shoe-in to join the Champions as they get set to sell Kostas Tsimikas to make way for his arrival but beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili’s arrival to replace Caoimhin Kelleher, there aren’t many concrete signs of who else will join Liverpool.
Earlir this season, former Cameroon international Bernard Tchoutang told Africafoot that Liverpool would be the perfect next club for Carlos Baleba but that is a transfer that will be very difficult to complete.
His contract only expires in 2028 so Liverpool – or any other club – will need to convince Brighton with a huge fee. For reference, they sold Moises Caicedo for £115m.
Signing Baleba this summer will require an enormous transfer fee, says David Ornstein
But now, speaking in a in a Q&A for The Athletic, David Ornstein has assured Brighton fans and warned Baleba’s suitors that it will be nigh on impossible to sign the Cameroonian this summer.
“Baleba has many admirers, believe me. And rightly so,” he began. “However, I imagine Brighton have no desire or need to sell him in this summer’s window and when that is the case, they tend to get their way.
“He has enjoyed a superb first couple of years with them and is under contract until 2028. That puts Brighton in a position of great strength. There is also no indication he is agitating for a move. So it would take a king’s ransom for Brighton to even consider parting with Baleba — and I’m not aware of anyone preparing to go to such lengths at present.
“We’ve seen this movie many times over,” Ornstein added. “Brighton and their owner, Tony Bloom, are among the shrewdest operators in the market, and they control these situations particularly well. That probably explains the lack of chatter you refer to.”
