Carlos Baleba is firmly in Arsenal’s sights (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal are scouring the market for possible midfield reinforcements and have identified Brighton star Carlos Baleba as one of their top targets.

Baleba joined Brighton in a £23million deal from Lille in August 2023 and the 20-year-old went on to make 37 appearances in all competitions for the Seagulls across a promising debut season.

The midfielder has picked up where he left off this term and appears to have added goals to his game, netting twice in his opening eight matches under new head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

But according to talkSPORT, Brighton could soon be drawn into a tussle to keep hold of Baleba, with the highly rated youngster said to be a ‘long-standing’ target for Arsenal.
The report claims Liverpool and Tottenham are also keeping close tabs on the Cameroon international, though Brighton are under no pressure to sell after turning all-time record profits for a Premier League side last year.

Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez were offloaded by Brighton for a combined total of around £158million 12 months ago, leaving the club financially secure for the foreseeable future.

But Tony Bloom?s business model at Brighton has always centred around signing unheralded players for modest fees before selling them on for big money, meaning Baleba is by no means untouchable.

The Cameroon midfielder has scored two goals for Brighton this season (Picture: Getty)

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