When Brighton & Hove Albion agreed to sell Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, the Seagulls were always going to need a replacement.
While they could have added a player with experience to ensure they weren’t losing too much in the heart of their midfield, the Premier League club decided to follow their tried and trusted approach of signing young, exciting talent and went after Lille’s Carlos Baleba.
L’Equipe have an article on Brighton’s pursuit of the 19-year-old, for whom a fee of €27m + €3m (and more than 15% of any future profit) was agreed, with the player travelling on Monday.
It’s explained the midfielder ‘passed the first part’ of his medical on Monday, and should ‘sign today a contract for five years’, suggesting he will do so after the second half of his medical.
This agreement came after three previous bid had been made by Brighton, with the first starting at €17m + €3m, followed by a slightly improved one soon after.
However, that wasn’t enough, and a bid of €25m + €5m was then made, also rejected, but enough to start ‘serious negotiations’.
That’s when the two sides agreed on the €27m + €3m deal on Monday, which is considered a lot for a player who only has six starts in Ligue 1 to his name.
However, much like the €40m bid made by Everton last season for Amadou Onana, this was simply too good to refuse.
