Man Utd's 'final call' on making Carlos Baleba swap transfer offer after £104m valuation

Manchester United's Toby Collyer won't be included in a potential swap deal for Brighton's Carlos Baleba. With the imminent signing of Benjamin Sesko, Ruben Amorim is eager to strengthen his midfield options, and Baleba has been linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Brighton have slapped a £104million price tag on Baleba, sparking suggestions that United's young talent Collyer could be offered as part of the deal due to the financial constraints at Old Trafford. United will need to offload players to fund further purchases after committing a significant portion of their wage budget on Sesko, whose £74m transfer is expected to be confirmed shortly.

This has led to suggestions that United could use Collyer to reduce Baleba's price tag. However, according to the Manchester Evening News, he will not be involved in any negotiations. Rumours had suggested that Collyer might be used to improve the chance of capturing Baleba this summer, given that the 21-year-old came through the ranks at Brighton before leaving in 2022.

It was previously claimed that the opportunity to sign Collyer was unexpected. He was considered one of the best midfielders in his age group. A source at United confessed they were surprised by the opportunity to sign him, but they were happy to oblige, reports the Mirror.

Born in Worthing, just 10 miles from Brighton, Collyer seemed set to make his way into the first team but was instead let go. Collyer's future at Old Trafford, however, is uncertain this month. The midfielder has attracted loan interest and it's believed other clubs are considering pulling the trigger on a permanent deal.

However, it seems more probable the youngster leaves Manchester just on a temporary basis. "I think first and foremost I want to be here and play as many games for Man United as possible," he said while in the USA. "I'll sit down with the manager and higher-ups and see what's the best solution for that. The best way for me to develop, whether it's stay here or go on loan.

"The end goal for me is to play as many minutes as possible here, hopefully starting every week. So yeah, I'll sit down with them. Obviously, my feeling at this moment is I want to stay. I want to play as many games as possible. I've not really thought that far ahead to be honest. I'll just see how the next few weeks go and then we'll go over those conversations.

"I'll be able to sit down with them and see what's the best solution for that. But yeah, like you said there as well, obviously there's not a lot of time in football. You need to get the results and get the team progressing. So that's what we're working towards at the minute."

Collyer caught the eye last season when he made his bow against Liverpool at Old Trafford, clocking up 13 outings in total despite enduring minor muscle problem.

Last summer, sources close to the club revealed Erik ten Hag held Collyer in extremely high esteem, with another insider highlighting his remarkable 'freakish' fitness levels during training sessions - bettered only by Bruno Fernandes.

Amorim has similarly sung the youngster's praises, highlighting Collyer's promise and dedication in January when he declared: "He has very good legs, he's improving with the ball. He knows what he needs to do to play for this club and feels the club in the right way. He's really humble and when you work hard, you get the opportunity."