The cunning £55m midfielder swoop that Man Utd must beat Liverpool and Arsenal to this summer

Death. Taxes. Brighton signing a promising young midfielder for a pittance, only to have him lured away from the Amex by one of the Big Six. You could almost set your watch by it.

This summer, as the wheel of fortune begins to slow towards a halt, it would appear that Carlos Baleba is the lucky starlet to find himself in the crosshairs of the heavy hitters. According to Caught Offside, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the 20-year-old, who has established himself as an increasingly important presence for the Seagulls since arriving at the club last year.

Indeed, so highly-valued is he that it could take as much as £55 million to prise him away from Albion’s grasp in the coming weeks and months. That’s certainly not an inconsiderable fee, but given his age, his obvious potential, and Brighton’s recent track record of selling players at huge profit, it is not necessarily unexpected or unreasonable either.

Naturally, in a three-horse race of this kind, the first question you find yourself asking is where might Baleba end up, and perhaps more pertinently still, who needs him the most? To that end, there are arguments to be made in favour of each of Arsenal, Liverpool, and United.

For the Gunners, it would appear that one more midfielder to bolster their engine room is very much on Mikel Arteta’s summer wish list. Real Sociedad talisman Martin Zubimendi continues to be mentioned on the regular, even as he insists that he is happy in Spain, while Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz is another long-term target, although any chance signing him could be made considerably more difficult if the Villans qualify for the Champions League.

In that sense, Baleba may be something of an auxiliary alternative in North London, and while that doesn’t necessarily diminish his chances of moving to the Emirates, it could open the door to other, keener suitors.

Which brings us to Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp enacted something of a midfield rebuild last summer, but with Thiago Alcantara likely to leave the club and a general lack of depth in the centre of the park besides, Baleba could emerge as a serious option for his expected successor, Arne Slot. The Reds also have previous when it comes to doing business with Brighton, and one of their success stories of the season has arguably been Alexis Mac Allister, who has flourished at Anfield since arriving from Albion.

And then there is United, who are understood to be plotting a huge overturn of talent in the near future. How huge, exactly? Well, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Sofyan Amrabat, and potentially even Scott McTominay could be in line to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, and as good as Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo are, you suspect that they may need some kind of support if the Red Devils are to challenge for any kind of silverware next season.

Perhaps then, in a weird sort of way, United represents the best option for Baleba, or at the very least, the most obvious opportunity for him to join a side where he would have a decent chance of immediately establishing himself as a guaranteed first team starter. If the Red Devils are to reconfigure and rebuild, the Cameroonian could become a key part of that process.