Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly identified Lille midfielder Carlos Baleba as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Moises Caicedo.
The Seagulls have allegedly reached a full agreement with the West Londoners to sell Caicedo for a British-record £115m, and the Ecuadorian’s departure is said to be imminent as he has already completed the main part of his medical.
Brighton had agreed a £110m fee with Liverpool for Caicedo last week, but Chelsea have since tabled a better offer after discovering that the midfielder had made it clear that he would prefer a big-money move to Stamford Bridge over a switch to Anfield.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side appear to have already lined up a replacement as journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that the Seagulls have submitted an opening bid for Lille teenager Baleba.
Romano adds that the offer for the 19-year-old midfielder is worth in excess of €16m (£13.8m) including add-ons, and talks are ongoing between the two clubs.
Brighton are also claimed to have reached an agreement with Baleba on personal terms, with the Cameroonian identified as their ‘favourite’ target to replace Caicedo.
Baleba began his career in his native Cameroon with Futur Soccer FC before joining the Ecole de Football des Brasseries du Cameroun academy centre as a 13-year-old.
The youngster then made the move to Europe to sign for Ligue 1 club Lille in January 2022 and made nine appearances for the club’s youth team during the second half of the 2021-22 campaign.
Under the tutelage of manager Paulo Fonseca, Baleba made his senior debut in August 2022 and made 19 Ligue 1 appearances last season, including five starts and 14 substitute outings.
Baleba primarily operates as a defensive midfielder but has played further forward in the middle of the pitch for Lille, although he is yet to score his first senior goal for the club.
The teenager made his first appearance of the 2023-24 campaign last Friday, starting and playing for just over an hour in the 1-1 Ligue 1 draw with Nice.
Brighton have already been busy in the summer transfer market, recruiting six new signings including the club-record addition of forward Joao Pedro, who scored on his debut in the 4-1 Premier League win over Luton Town on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, defender Igor Julio, midfielders James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud and teenage winger Adrian Mazilu have also completed permanent moves to the Seagulls this summer.
Brighton had allegedly agreed a €40m (£34.6m) with Ajax to sign attacker Mohammed Kudus, but talks over personal terms are said to have stalled and West Ham United have since joined the race for his signature.
