Brighton’s CEO has said there has been no contact between the club and Manchester United despite reports the Old Trafford side had renewed their interest in Carlos Baleba.

United were first interested in the 22-year-old Cameroonian in the summer but pulled out after Brighton demanded a fee north of ￡100m but now that the winter transfer window has opened, Ruben Amorim’s side are reportedly interested once again.

A report on Friday from Sky Sports suggested United had ‘explored signing conditions’ for a January move but that ‘no deal is expected in January’.

Brighton CEO Paul Barber though has said there has been no talks between the Seagulls and anyone at United over a possible sale.

“No call from Old Trafford,” he said on talkSPORT. “No call from anyone connected to Manchester United.

“We have no plans or desire to sell Carlos [Baleba] in this window, or in any future window, but we know he’s a talented player and he’s got a lot of options ahead of him in the future.

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“For us right now, he’s an important player in the second half of the season, and we’re looking forward to getting him back from AFCON.”

With Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both older than 30 and Amorim’s apparent dislike of Kobbie Mainoo, it is no surprise that United are linked with midfield reinforcements but they could face competition for Baleba’s signature.

A report from Caught Offside suggested Liverpool were also exploring the possibility of making a move.

A source for the outlet said: “Brighton are fielding multiple enquiries for Baleba this month.

“There are teams who would ideally bring him in this January, but the message is that that won’t be possible. No one realistically expects him to stay beyond the summer, though.”

Any such deal whether now or in the summer is likely to cost at least ￡100m and United may be tempted to look at cheaper alternatives such as Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis. Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson is also attracting plenty of suitors.

Amorim has already suggested that the club will not be making any signings in the January window, stating the squad is already good enough for its objectives.

“The transfer window is not going to change,” said Amorim at a press conference on Friday.

“We have no conversations at this moment to have any change in the squad.

“There’s a process, there’s an idea that is going to continue.

“We are near the places of the Champions League, but we are also near like eight teams behind us. So let’s focus on the next game, just that. Our focus is to win the next game.”

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