Carlos Baleba suffers ankle ligament damage in pre-season

22-year-old midfielder Carlos Baleba is set to spend a period of time on the sidelines due to an ankle ligament injury suffered in pre-season, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

Brighton confirmed the departure of Danny Welbeck last week, and they are now set to be without another star at the start of the campaign. Baleba will be a big loss for Brighton at the start of next season, as the club prepare to compete in the UEFA Conference League.

While the South Coast side hope the injury will not be long-term, there could be setbacks in the midfielder's recovery, resulting in him missing even more matches.

While Brighton have good options in the middle of the park, with Europe beckoning, they will want to ensure they have adequate depth in the midfield to deal with the volume of matches they will play.

This could see the club look to complete a deal this summer for a midfielder to cover for the absence of Baleba.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer transfer window, but with his sustained injury, a possible deal will now be off the cards as things stand.

The 22-year-old played 35 games last season in all competitions, with 31 coming in the Premier League. Towards the end of the season, the Cameroon international was an important player for Brighton, featuring in 16 of their final 18 matches.

The 22-year-old's contract expires in the summer of 2028, so this season will be huge if Brighton are to try and raise funds from the player if he does leave. Otherwise, Baleba could leave the club on a free the following summer.