Manchester United's long pursuit of Carlos Baleba reflects a remarkable change in the way this team approaches the transfer market. Under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man United no longer seems to want to compete with too high prices, even if the player is in the priority target group.
Last summer, Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton & Hove Albion, once valued Baleba higher than Moises Caicedo, who was bought by Chelsea for a record £115 million in 2023. At Brighton, Bloom directly decides the fee for the players and rarely reveals that number before the deal is completed.
By January of this year, Baleba was still valued at £100 million by Brighton, although the performance of the Cameroonian midfielder has declined compared to the 2024-2025 season. A few months later, that price decreased to £70 million, including £65 million in fixed fees and £5 million in extra fees.
Man United finally accepted this number to bring Baleba to Old Trafford. The deal was delayed for a period of time because the Cameroonian player had to renew his visa to continue working in England.
For Brighton, this is still a big profit deal. Brighton only had to spend about 26 million pounds to bring Baleba from Lille in 2023, before selling him to Man United for a fee that could be up to 70 million pounds.
The way the "Red Devils" are pursuing Baleba also needs to be placed in the context that they have rejected a series of higher-value deals. M.U cannot compete with Manchester City in the race to win Elliot Anderson, who is priced at 116 million pounds. They also do not accept 100 million pounds for Sandro Tonali or 85 million pounds for Mateus Fernandes. Bruno Guimaraes, who joined Arsenal for 75 million pounds, is also not in their spending plan.
Instead, Man United set a budget for three midfielders with lower fees: Andrey Santos with 48 million pounds, Youri Tielemans with 35 million pounds and Baleba.
After spending about 200 million pounds for Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha to improve the attack last summer, the "Red Devils" continue to rebuild the midfield in a more cautious way. Compared to Man City, the same city team that spent heavily on Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and possibly Enzo Fernandez, Man United's plan is clearly less expensive.
Man City also has a significant source of income from player sales, something Man United has not done on the same scale. However, Man City's spending method is still controversial in the context of the lawsuit related to 115 allegations in the Premier League that has lasted for nearly 4 years without a ruling.
In terms of expertise, Baleba is suitable for the position that Man United has lacked for a long time. The Cameroonian midfielder plays as number 6, capable of shielding the defense and supporting ball recovery. He is left-footed, handles the ball well under pressure, passes the ball stably and can participate in tackles at both ends of the field.
Baleba is not the type of midfielder who regularly scores goals, but that is not the most important requirement for him. Man United needs a player who is strong enough to control the area in front of the defense, helping the midfield to be more balanced, especially in Carrick's system.
