Benjamin Sesko could ruin Man Utd's move for Brighton star Carlos Baleba

Manchester United's pursuit of Benjamin Sesko could come at a cost, and not just a literal one. By prioritising the Slovenian striker, Ruben Amorim's side are unlikely to be able to plug their midfield hole with Carlos Baleba.

United are set to pay up to £74million including add-ons for Sesko, with RB Leipzig confirming the player is training away from the rest of their squad. The Red Devils are confident they have beaten Newcastle to his signing, with the deal set to take their summer spending to around £200m in total.

They have also explored a move for Brighton star Baleba, whou wouldn't come cheap. According to The Athletic, the move is likely unrealistic given United's spending power, but they are still testing the water in an effort to get an idea of whether a move might be possible.

Signing both Sesko and Baleba in this window would require significant sales elsewhere, something which doesn't appear to be on the cards. There is likely to be some money coming in, with Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony all potentially leaving before the window shuts, but that would counterbalanced by the outlay for Sesko.

United have already spent big on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo while also bringing in young left-back Diego Leon. A move for Baleba is likely to have to wait until 2026, despite Amorim having limited options in front of the defence.

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Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2023, just a fortnight after the Seagulls sold fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. The Cameroon international made 34 league appearances last term, scoring his first goals for the club, and was asked about his future in May.

"If they can help me, I’ll accept that help to push forward and develop. So, I just work to help my team and for myself, to progress for the future," he said. "In return, everyone who helps me wants me to go to the highest level. And if there are big clubs who want me, it’s not something that worries me or gets me excited. I just need to work hard and keep a cool head."

United's season begins against Arsenal on August 17, and Ruben Amorim's side have impressed in pre-season. They claimed two wins and a draw in their three Premier League Summer Series fixtures, and head coach Amorim has seen plenty of positives.

"I think it's a perfect feeling to go back to Carrington," Amorim said ahead of Saturday's friendly against Fiorentina. "The momentum of the tour was perfect.

"We had two weeks to work in a good environment with a good feeling to go back to Carrington. We are near to the start of the season and we are going with the feeling that we need to do a lot of things."

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