Manchester United’s renewed approach for Balla Ba might backfire! Brighton fights back, refusing to sell for under £100 million this summer.

Sky Sports UK reports that despite knowing Carlos Balla Ba is unattainable in the January window, Manchester United once again explored the terms. However, this may have the opposite effect, as Brighton insists on a price above £100 million, otherwise they prefer not to sell at all.

British media say Manchester United considered signing Balla Ba but understand that no deal can be made in the winter window; Brighton will not release him before the summer at minimum. The 21-year-old Cameroonian defensive midfielder is contracted until 2028, with a one-year club option. Currently, he is participating in the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, who have reached the round of 16.

Brighton believes Manchester United’s repeated inquiries about Balla Ba’s transfer are underhanded tactics aimed at disrupting the player’s focus and performance, thereby pressuring the club to lower the price. The Red Devils hope to acquire Balla Ba from the "Seagulls" for less than £80 million.

Balla Ba himself is very keen to join Manchester United; Old Trafford naturally offers a bigger stage than Brighton and higher earnings. However, Brighton feels that if a player stops performing well just to force a transfer, it benefits no one. Given United’s deliberate attempts to unsettle Brighton players over two consecutive transfer windows, Brighton plans a strong counterattack: if their asking price is not met, they will not sell Balla Ba in either the January or upcoming summer window!

Brighton is not afraid of losing out financially, as they only paid €27 million to sign Balla Ba from Lille in 2023, a cost easily recoverable. The club also cites Manchester United’s handling of academy midfielder Cody Meno as a precedent: though the 20-year-old United talent wants to leave, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ruben Amorin have refused to let him go.

Brighton firmly believes they can apply the same approach with Balla Ba until they secure their desired transfer fee. Therefore, Balla Ba’s transfer saga is expected to become another dramatic episode in the future.

Rumors about Manchester United signing a new midfielder have never stopped, as everyone knows the Red Devils need two or more midfield reinforcements this year. Numerous midfielders have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, including former United academy graduate Scott McTominay!

It is well known that 29-year-old McTominay left Manchester United due to lack of playing time, often deployed as a defensive midfielder or substitute, choosing instead to join Napoli. Under Antonio Conte, he gained a more prominent role, helped Napoli win the Serie A title, and was named player of the season.

McTominay’s return to Manchester United is now impossible; even if he transfers again, it won’t be back to Old Trafford. However, according to the original transfer agreement, if the Scottish midfielder moves again, United stands to gain a share. The contract stipulates that for McTominay’s second transfer, Manchester United can receive 10% of the profit.

According to the Swiss CIES Football Observatory, McTominay’s current market value is estimated between €38 million and €52 million, while Napoli’s asking price reaches £60 million! When United sold McTominay, the fee was about £25 million; if sold at £60 million, the Red Devils could earn around £3.5 million from the profit share.

Manchester United’s recent transfer dealings have continued to face criticism. Lecce’s chairman, Sticchi Damiani, revealed that United’s €30 million bid for left-back Patrick Dogu surprised them greatly. "We didn’t plan to sell any players in January, but we didn’t expect such a high offer from Manchester United. Also, Premier League clubs don’t want to wait until June, which shocked us. From a technical standpoint, there was no issue; Dogu is a replaceable player."