Carlos Baleba is the latest Brighton star to emerge as a target for England's biggest clubs, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all reportedly vying for his signature.
In recent years Brighton have created a reputation for developing young players into great Premier League performers before selling them on for big profit. Moises Caicedo, Ben White, Alexis Mac Allister and Yves Bissouma are just some of the stars they have sold to so-called 'Big Six' clubs.
Brighton have reinvested the money from those departures and now have a new crop of hugely exciting players, including Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Simon Adingra and Julio Enciso.
But now a new name can be added to their list of coveted players, as Baleba is becoming hot property in the build up to the summer transfer window.
As per CaughtOffside, Brighton face a fight to keep the central midfielder as Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested.
Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are in the market for new midfielders, and Baleba's top displays this season have seen him added to their respective shortlists.
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Brighton are willing to sell the Cameroonian and reinvest the money elsewhere, but only for the right price. It is claimed that the Seagulls will accept offers in the region of PS55million.
Such a transfer would see Brighton make a huge profit, yet again. They only bought Baleba last summer, paying Lille just over PS23m for him.
Carlos Baleba pursued by Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal Since then, the 20-year-old has shown he can cut it against top midfielders, having made 32 appearances for Brighton this term.
Baleba is versatile, as he can either operate as a No 6 or slightly further forward as a No 8.
While Liverpool's interest in the starlet is understandable, it could be argued they do not need to sign him as much as Man Utd or Arsenal. After all, the Merseyside club bolstered their midfield last summer with four new arrivals.
Man Utd, in contrast, are in desperate need of a new midfielder to partner Kobbie Mainoo going forward, with Casemiro, Sofyan Amrabat and Christian Eriksen all poised to leave. Given Baleba's age and huge potential, he could eventually form a top-class partnership with Mainoo.
Arsenal could also future-proof their midfield by snaring Baleba. Mikel Arteta needs a more reliable defensive midfielder who can replace Thomas Partey, and Baleba fits the bill. The Brighton star might not be a world-beater just yet, but he is certainly on the way to becoming a quality operator at the highest level in Europe.
