How much is Carlos Baleba worth? Here’s the possible Brighton transfer fee

Brighton are hoping to unearth another gem with the signing of Lille teenager Carlos Baleba. A full agreement is reportedly in place for the teenager. We’ll take a look at how much he’s worth and the potential Carlos Baleba Brighton transfer fee.

As with many of Brighton’s previous signings, Baleba will arrive in England as a new name to most Premier League fans. In truth, many fans of Ligue 1 would also be forgiven for not knowing much about a player who has only started 6 matches in the French top flight. He has made 21 appearances overall, but most have been off the bench, including his most recent which came in the 2-0 win over Nantes on Sunday.

Therefore, even by Brighton’s standards, Baleba feels like a real unknown quantity but the Seagulls will be hoping the Cameroonian can quickly adapt to life in England and act as a replacement for Moises Caicedo who recently joined Chelsea in a British record deal.

Market value – How much is Carlos Baleba worth?

Baleba is a central midfielder, capable of operating in the holding role or as a box-to-box player. He should certainly bring energy to the middle of the park for Brighton and was quickly identified as a leading candidate to replace Caicedo.

Having played so little senior football, his market value is not yet very high. Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, he’s worth just €5m, a fraction of the figure Brighton are expected to pay for his services.

However Caicedo’s market value was of a similar figure when he initially moved to the Amex and we’ve seen just how rapidly a player’s stock can rise after only a relatively short period of success in the Premier League. Defensive midfielders have never been so costly and Brighton will clearly be hoping that they are jumping the gun on rival clubs by signing Baleba before he has had a chance to truly showcase his potential.

While there is always risk attached to signing any young and relatively unproven player, Baleba appears to have many of the attributes needed to succeed as a midfielder in the Premier League. He’s been complemented for his quick feet and great first touch whilst also possessing many of the physical ingredients needed in his role.

Carlos Baleba Brighton transfer fee

The transfer fee that will see Carlos Baleba move to Brighton has been widely reported at €30m including add-ons, around £25.5m. On the surface that’s a lot of money for a player who has only clocked up 531 minutes of top flight football in France, but the Seagulls were not the only club showing interest in the 19 year old with Liverpool also believed to be keen having missed out on their top defensive midfield targets.

A move to the South Coast rather than Anfield does feel like a more logical progression for the teenager at this point though.

He may not instantly walk into a Brighton side that currently sits top of the Premier League following two dominant wins to start the new season over Luton Town and Wolves. However it shouldn’t be long before Baleba gets meaningful game-time assuming he passes his medical and completes a switch to play for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

Baleba will be competing with the likes of Pascal Groß and Billy Gilmour for a start at the base of the Seagulls midfield and his qualities make him a much more natural replacement for Caicedo than either of those two players.

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