Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba will cost €120m in future, and potentially follow Moises Caicedo to Chelsea.
That’s the opinion of against Jennifer Mendelewitsch, who has been hyping up the midfielder on Canal +, relayed by Actu Cameroun.
Baleba joined Brighton as the replacement for Caicedo last summer but endured a difficult first season in England under Roberto de Zerbi.
He’s started this season as a key part of Fabian Hürzeler’s plans, though, establishing himself in the centre of midfield and putting in a series of impressive performances to justify that.
At 20-years-old he appears to be one of several young players Brighton are ready to develop into stars, something they’ve become adept at over the last decade.
One of those players, Caicedo, headed to Chelsea in a €120m deal last summer and Mendelewitsch can see Baleba going the same way.
“He attracts a lot of agents, and he attracts a lot of clubs,” she said.
“That’s Brighton’s strength, that is to say knowing how to take young players, develop them, make them play and then, he will be bought by Chelsea for €120m imagine. There is no reason why Baleba should not follow the same path.”
For now, the focus for Baleba is on continuing to establish himself in the Brighton first-team and for his country Cameroon.
He’s certainly off to a solid start under Hürzeler, showing all of the talent that made the Seagulls move to sign him for €27m from Lille when Caicedo departed for Stamford Bridge.
It didn’t take long for Caicedo to get up to speed at Brighton and now Baleba appears to be on a similar path after a strong start to the season for the Seagulls under their new manager.
Alexandre Song has been impressed by what he’s seen and like Mendelewitsch, believes a transfer will be on the cards.
“Carlos Baleba is only 20 years old, he is the future of Cameroon, a global future. With what he shows, he has enormous potential, he has a lot of play,” he added on Canal + Afrique.
“It’s incredible to adapt so quickly in the Premier League. What he does at his age is magnificent. Even in the selection since he arrived, he has shown some new things, some dynamism.
He’s a future great, he’s a future leader. At Brighton, he arrived there two years ago, and he shows that he is the centrepiece. He’s the one who dictates the game, he’s the one who does practically everything.
He must continue to work, and I think that within two years he will no longer be there. Because he has the potential to play in the biggest clubs.”
