A current Premier League star has been urged to snub Chelsea in favour of joining Liverpool if he were to have his pick of the two clubs.
Stamford Bridge has been a popular next destination for former Brighton players, with Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo all swapping Sussex for west London.
The latter’s move to the Blues 18 months ago was laced with notoriety for Reds supporters, with LFC having agreed a deal to sign the Ecuador midfielder before he instead opted for the capital club.
However, the man who essentially took his place in the Seagulls engine room has been advised to make the opposite decision to Chelsea’s £115m man.
Baleba advised to join Liverpool over Chelsea
Former Cameroon international Bernard Tchoutang was speaking to Africa Foot about compatriot Carlos Baleba, who’s currently excelling at Brighton and has reportedly been a ‘long-term target‘ for Liverpool.
The 48-year-old said of the Albion youngster: “Liverpool is the club that would suit him best for me, and I’m not just saying that because they are by far the best team in the Premier League this season and one of the strongest in Europe. Arne Slot’s system of play would suit him very well. The Reds like to attack, press and move quickly in transition.”
Tchoutang added: “As for Chelsea, I’m not sure it would be a good choice. The team is having a decent season, but it’s a notch below Liverpool or Arsenal, and I think Baleba has the level to play in one of the best teams in England. He’s ready for it; he’s working for it.”
Why might Liverpool be interested in Baleba?
Just like when they had Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister two seasons ago, Brighton are well in the mix for European qualification this term, which’d be a magnificent achievement for their young manager Fabian Hurzeler in his first year in charge.
Baleba has been a mainstay of their impressive 2024/25 campaign, averaging the second-highest WhoScored performance rating of any Seagulls player and making more tackles (2.3) and interceptions (1.6) per game than any of his teammates.
He’s so highly regarded at the Amex Stadium that the south coast club reportedly valued him at £55m last year – not quite Caicedo territory but still a ringing endorsement of the young Cameroonian.
While the 21-year-old has shone in the Premier League, getting into Liverpool’s midfield would be quite the challenge, with Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch forming such an imperious engine room axis at Anfield.
Nonetheless, he’s bound to continue attracting attention from Richard Hughes, who – if it comes to it – shouldn’t have an overly difficult job in convincing him that a move to the Reds would be more advisable than joining Chelsea.
