Carlos Baleba deletes social media post hours before Man Utd vs Brighton match

Carlos Baleba has removed a social media post referencing transfer rumours linking him with Manchester United before Brighton's visit to Old Trafford. The Seagulls face United in the Premier League on Saturday evening, with all attention on Baleba.

United welcome Fabian Hurzeler's side following two consecutive victories, with Ruben Amorim aiming to maintain the fresh momentum. The hosts will also be keeping a close watch on Brighton midfielder Baleba, having been unsuccessful in an attempt to secure his signature during the summer.

Brighton fielded enquiries from United regarding the Cameroon international, but the transfer failed to gain traction, with their astronomical valuation successfully putting off potential suitors.

They demanded a fee exceeding £100million, with the £115m they secured from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo establishing a lofty benchmark.

However, Baleba is said to remain open to swapping Brighton for United down the line, and the chance to showcase his talents to Amorim hasn't escaped his notice.

Hurzeler was forced to field questions about his midfielder during the pre-match press conference and may not have been pleased to discover his Instagram post.

The 21-year-old uploaded a graphic featuring himself and promoting to his followers the match on Saturday at 5.30pm with the caption "Coming to Old Trafford" accompanied by a crying laughing emoji.

Realising that his words might land him in trouble, he swiftly deleted it and re-uploaded without the cheeky caption - but not before it was caught by supporters. Baleba has struggled for consistency this season, but he delivered an improved display in Brighton's 2-1 triumph over Newcastle United last weekend, earning recognition from his manager.

"I saw a Carlos Baleba who stepped up," Hurzeler told Sky Sports.

"These were good actions and good behaviours he showed, but he has to make habits out of those good behaviours. That's the next step in his development, to bring consistency to his performance.

"For me, it's always important that I'm very transparent with the players. I have a very good relationship with Carlos. We speak regularly, we are in touch. I always share my thoughts about his development and my thoughts about his performance."

Brighton have become accustomed to larger clubs attempting to lure away their talent and are aware that Baleba will probably be targeted at the end of the campaign.

"I don't think Baleba was a saga," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said earlier this month.

"There was interest from Manchester United, and we said that he wasn't available this summer and they went away. So we've had many bigger sagas in the past. But Carlos Baleba, his improvement has been immense. Massively important player to this football club, and just delighted that he's with us for this season."