Aspinall Urges Brighton to Trade Baleba for Mount

Warren Aspinall has never been shy with an opinion, and he has a clear one on Brighton’s next move in the market: if Manchester United come back for Carlos Baleba, the Seagulls should push for Mason Mount.

The former Brighton midfielder believes the south-coast club are in a rare position of strength over one of English football’s heavyweights – and he wants them to use it.

“I was thinking – if Baleba did go to Manchester United then I'd see if I could get Mason Mount as part of the deal,” Aspinall told the Albion Unlimited podcast.

It’s a bold idea, but it comes at a crossroads moment for both players.

Baleba at a Turning Point

Baleba spent much of last season looking like a player caught between two futures. He had been heavily linked with Old Trafford in the summer of 2025, yet once the move failed to materialise, his form dipped under Fabian Hürzeler.

The raw tools are not in doubt. Aspinall is adamant Brighton still have a serious midfielder on their hands.

“He’s excellent. He’s strong, powerful, breaks the lines very well. It was easy for him in certain games,” he said.

The problem, in Aspinall’s eyes, lies in the hangover from that Manchester United interest. A young player gets a “sniff” of a superclub, starts to picture the big move, the big wages – and when it doesn’t happen, the comedown can be brutal.

“Sometimes you get a sniff from a club like Manchester United and you start to think about that big move and big payday but it has not happened. You have to get your head down, go again, and see where it takes him.”

For Aspinall, the responsibility now sits squarely with Hürzeler. The Brighton boss, he says, must strip things back and reset his midfielder’s mindset.

“For Baleba, the manager has to sit him down in a one-to-one situation and say, ‘look, just get your head down, do what you did not last season but the season before, and they will all come for you then’.”

If Baleba stays, Aspinall sees no reason why he cannot dominate again.

“If he does stay he needs to knuckle down and he can have a great season at Brighton. If he plays well, Brighton play well because he wins that midfield battle. If he is at the top of his game he makes his team-mates believe.”

Mount’s United Future Under Threat

The other half of Aspinall’s equation is Mount. A marquee signing from Chelsea in 2023, he has struggled for rhythm, fitness and influence at Old Trafford.

And now the midfield around him is shifting again.

United have just brought in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, adding to the rapid rise of Kobbie Mainoo. Aspinall looks at that trio and sees the core of Erik ten Hag’s engine room – with Mount on the outside looking in.

“He’s not going to be in the side because they’ve just signed two midfield players in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos,” Aspinall said. “Those two and Kobbie Mainoo will be starters, so where does that leave Mount? They have good players coming through in the likes of Tyler Fletcher.”

The question is stark. If Mount is no longer central to United’s plans, Brighton, in Aspinall’s view, should be ready to pounce, especially if United revive their interest in Baleba.

Brighton’s Leverage in a One-Club Race

For now, United appear to be the only club with concrete links to Baleba. That narrows the field and, crucially, gives Brighton room to manoeuvre.

They are not facing a bidding war. They are not under pressure to sell. And after two new midfielders have already arrived at Old Trafford in a week, there is a very real chance United back off and Baleba simply stays put.

If that happens, Aspinall’s message is clear: reset, refocus, and rebuild the player on the south coast.

If United do come back, though, he wants Brighton to think bigger than a straight cash deal. He wants them to ask a question of a club that suddenly has one midfielder too many.

Mount needs a fresh stage. Baleba needs clarity. Brighton, unusually, hold a few of the cards.