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Josh Lawless
Manchester United are pushing hard to complete a stunning swoop for Carlos Baleba and potential teammate Matheus Cunha has already given his thoughts on the Brighton star.
On Wednesday night, David Ornstein of The Athletic got United fans seriously excited when he reported that the Red Devils have made contact with Brighton over the signing of the Cameroonian.
In addition, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that United believe "agreeing terms with Baleba terms won’t be an issue" - but the difficult element will be negotiations with Brighton, who do not wish to sell him.
United fans are hopeful that the many connections Baleba has with many of their current stars could help them get a deal done, even if it still remains an uphill battle.
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Baleba plays at international level with Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo but is also friends with Leny Yoro, who he played with during their time together at Lille.
But interestingly, speaking a few months back, Baleba revealed that Cunha, a £62.5 million signing from Wolves, had given him words of encouragement alongside other fellow Premier League midfielders.
The 21-year-old also spoke of his admiration of Manchester City midfielder Rodri as he revealed his Ballon d'Or aspirations.
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“Declan Rice, Matheus Cunha, Joelinton, they’ve all told me I’ve got it in me," he told The Sun.
“I want to win the Ballon d'Or like Rodri.
"I watched him during the Euros and before his injury I played against him and time I got the ball, he was right in front of me.
“It was my first game against Manchester City, and it was very difficult.
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"He made it so hard to dribble or pass. That showed his class.
“His success has opened the door for midfielders like us to believe we can win the Ballon d’Or someday.”
According to L'Equipe, Ruben Amorim has made Baleba "one of the pillars of his future project" - hence why they are exploring the conditions of a deal.
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Liverpool and Arsenal have been touted as potential suitors, while City made an enquiry in January but a fee of around £104 million was mooted.
Brighton's record sale saw Moises Caicedo join Chelsea for £115 million, a fee which remains a British record.