According to Talksport, Newcastle are considering a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba to boost their depleted midfield ranks.

The Magpies have sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal, leaving new manager Matthias Jaissle without both of their nailed-on starting midfielders from the previous season. The club obviously need to dip into the transfer market now, as their new midfield signings so far include just the inexperienced duo of 20-year-old Aladji Bamba and 18-year-old Sean Steur.

Jaissle is keen to add someone more established in the Premier League, and Baleba appears to be a candidate.

The 22-year-old was previously targeted by Manchester United, but their purchases of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa mean that interest no longer exists.

Playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, Baleba has made 92 appearances for Brighton in all competitions, scoring four goals and assisting his teammates on two occasions.