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Manchester United are growing increasingly confident of securing Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba after failing to complete a £100 million summer transfer, with sources suggesting the 22-year-old’s stock has dropped since their initial interest surfaced last year.
Manchester United Growing Confident of Reviving Carlos Baleba Transfer Interest
United made an audacious attempt to sign Baleba from Brighton during the summer transfer window but were priced out of a move for the young centre-midfielder. The Red Devils had spent around £230 million on signings and failed to offload Bruno Fernandes, leaving little funds remaining to invest in a new midfielder. They certainly could not afford a deal for Baleba, which would have cost around £100 million at the time.
Baleba has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in Europe over the past couple of seasons and has been mooted as a potential long-term replacement for Casemiro. The Cameroon international is contracted to Brighton until 2028 but well-placed sources suggest United are becoming more optimistic about prising him away from the Amex Stadium in the summer transfer window.
United have kicked their midfield issues down the road until this year and a significant overhaul is expected in this department in the coming months. Recent reports indicate that Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes could all leave, while Baleba remains on the radar alongside several other targets, including Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
The club has made a January transfer decision and are not expected to deviate from their winter window plan following Michael Carrick’s appointment as head coach. United are unlikely to make any signings this month because they are focused on long-term planning and their targets are not available in the winter window, preferring to land their top targets for value-for-money transfer fees during the summer.
United committed an outlay of £215 million excluding add-ons to sign Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon in the summer window. The club views the summer transfer window as the preferred time to complete major signings, with Carrick returning to oversee the remainder of the season before any significant squad changes are implemented.
