Brighton have previous when it comes to extracting huge fees for their in-demand stars. Take the likes of Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo, for example. The pair secured their respective moves to Chelsea only once the Blues had bowed to Brighton’s demands.
Carlos Baleba, as and when the Seagulls opt to sell the Cameroon international, will be the next big-money departure from the AMEX. Reports of a £115m bid for the former Lille man indicate just how much Manchester United are willing to spend to improve their midfield.
United have already flashed the cash this summer, bolstering their attack, but it’s in the middle of the park and between the sticks that is the next port of call for Ruben Amorim’s side. However, their pursuit of Baleba looks set to be a fruitless one. Even a monster bid for the 21-year-old is unlikely to convince Brighton to sell one of their prized assets, which has seen United reportedly switch targets to Sevilla man Lucien Agoume.
With a rumoured €40m release clause, the Frenchman is a considerably cheaper alternative to Baleba but that shouldn’t put supporters off the potential addition of a player who’ll elevate United’s midfield.
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What does Agoume bring to the table?
For the purpose of this comparison between both Agoume and Baleba, along with a comparison between Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, we’ll use their 2024/25 league statistics, given that all have made just one league appearance for their respective sides this season.
The primary objective for the central midfielder United are looking to sign before the close of the transfer window is one who’ll go in hunt of possession and win the ball back frequently.
Tackles and interceptions
While both Casemiro and Ugarte are handy ball winners, the duo also have their own shortcomings. The former turns 34 in February while the latter struggles in possession when he does win the ball back, and the failure to impose himself for United has quickly seen fans turn on the Uruguayan.
Agoume, though, brings Ugarte’s ball-winning qualities and combines them well with Casemiro and Baleba’s distribution. While the Comparison Matrix — view below — between the four midfielders shows Casemiro as having made more tackles per 90 (5) last season, Agoume’s return of three per 90 was higher than Baleba (2.7).
Conversely, it was the Sevilla man who committed more fouls per tackle attempt (1.5) of the four players. Baleba, meanwhile, managed the fewest fouls per tackle attempt (0.8) of the midfielders, so while the former made more tackles, it was the latter who was more measured in his approach to win the ball.
That said, United do need a midfielder who also boasts a commendable reading of the game in order to transition from defence to attack. It was Agoume who ranked top for interceptions per 90 (1.8) of the quartet in the 2024/25 campaign, slightly more than Baleba (1.6), and double that of Casemiro (0.9).
Take-on success rate and forward passes
What really stood out, though, was how Agoume used the ball for Sevilla. Midfielders nowadays, especially those who so often rob opponents of the ball, are expected to drive the team forward, which the France U21 international does impressively.
Agoume may have completed fewer take-ons per 90 (1) than Baleba (1.2), but the former shone in his overall success rate. Indeed, of the four midfielders, Agoume managed far and away the best take-on success rate (75.86%), with Ugarte (64.29%) second for this metric. Not only did Casemiro complete the fewest take-ons per 90 (0.2), he also had a dire success rate (50%), with the Brazilian’s advancing years really beginning to show.
That said, what Casemiro lacked in his ability to beat a man, he made up for with his willingness to help set United on the front foot. The former Real Madrid man averaged a commendable 18.9 forward passes per 90 in the Premier League last season, more than Baleba (10) and Ugarte (9.5), the latter’s return highlighting this deficiency to his game. Yet, it was Agoume who came out top in this metric, albeit negligibly (19). Even so, Agoume’s push to set Sevilla on the front foot has seen his stock rise considerably.
There may well be reasonable concerns about Agoume’s overall distribution – the Sevilla man returned a pass success rate of just 82.89% from 51.2 passes per 90 – though it is worth noting that he didn’t place bottom of the four-man comparison for the two metrics, with Casemiro finishing last for pass success rate (80.21%), and Baleba for passes per 90 (43.9).
Interest in Agoume isn’t a shock
While Baleba would be the headline-hogging signing, there’s a very good reason why United eye Agoume as an alternative to the Brighton man. He does shine in possession, be it with a desire to find a teammate or his ability to drive his team forward when on the ball.
Crucially, too, is that Agoume has proven just how effective he can be when he looks to set his side on the front foot. United struggled in transition last season, and the hope is a new-look flexible frontline will help to put sides on the back foot with greater regularity.
Having a player of Agoume’s calibre to effectively shield the defence and get the ball forward quickly would bring out the best in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in the final third, all the while granting captain Bruno Fernandes the freedom to fully maximise his creative qualities.
Available for a fraction of the reported asking price for Baleba, United should resist the urge to wait a year for the youngster and instead focus their attention on Sevilla’s star-in-the-making Agoume.