Man Utd allow Newcastle to complete £65m signing approved by Jaissle

Manchester United are set to wave the white flag and give Newcastle a free run at completing a shock signing projected to cost around £65m, according to reports.

It’s been a frustrating summer for both Newcastle and Man Utd, though for wildly contrasting reasons.

The Magpies have been gutted, with three of their best players, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon, all poached by bigger teams.

Man Utd have no such worries about losing their elite stars. Instead, their summer has been characterised by missing out on their top targets.

The Red Devils entered the window with grand plans to overhaul their midfield with blockbuster moves for the likes of Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Refusals to pay bumper fees saw Man Utd miss out on Anderson who joined Man City (£116m), while Fernandes moved across London from West Ham to Spurs (£85m).

Another big-name midfielder the Red Devils have taken a close look at is Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.

He was the undisputed top target when Ruben Amorim was at the helm, with INEOS believing Baleba perfectly fit the Portuguese’s style of play and tactical demands.

Man Utd’s interest levels diminished to a degree when Amorim was axed around the turn of the year, though he is still on their radar.

What’s more, Baleba as an all-action defensive midfielder is the exact profile of player Man Utd are seeking to mesh well with new recruits, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, neither of which are direct successors for Casemiro.

Newcastle want Carlos Baleba as Man Utd stand aside

However, a recent report from The Daily Mail brought news of Newcastle throwing their hat in the ring for Baleba. That’s despite the fact the 22-year-old is currently sidelined with an ankle ligament injury and will miss the start of the new season.

A second outlet in the form of talkSPORT has now verified Newcastle’s interest in Baleba. And per their chief transfer news reporter, Alex Crook, Newcastle believe a deal can be done for around £65m.

What’s more, Crook insisted that all the signs suggest Man Utd WON’T stand in Newcastle’s way if they do act on their interest in the Brighton man.

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“Carlos Baleba is a player attracting admiring glances from for Magpies,” said Crook.

“Manchester United have been keen on Baleba for the last couple of transfer windows and at the moment it doesn’t look like they are going to pursue that interest this time around.

“Obviously, Newcastle have lost both of their starting midfielders, Sandro Tonali to Spurs for £100m and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal for a guaranteed £75m.

“They do have money to spend,” Crook added. “Brighton will be tough negotiators though.

“There’s talk in the north east that they can get Baleba for a little at £65m – I’m not entirely convinced of that asking price.”

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Newcastle have already signed two midfielders this summer in the form of Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba.

However, both players are young (18 and 20 respectively), and the club’s aim is to provide Jaissle with a more experienced option, and ideally one who knows the Premier League well.

A move for Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg came to nothing when the Dane rejected Newcastle.

Interest in Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha has been registered, and while he prefers a switch to Aston Villa, Fabrizio Romano revealed on Saturday afternoon that Newcastle have made fresh calls to change the former Tottenham loanee’s mind.

While Baleba is by no means a veteran aged 22, he does have three full seasons of Premier League experience under his belt and has made 92 EPL appearances for Brighton.